Dares, Deals, and Dates With a Demon
by Faerie Wings And Other Things
Summary: "You have to go on a date with Erza Scarlet." "AHAHAHAHA! YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!" Jellal's lost a bet. When Sting twists it, it suddenly seems not as bad... The things he does for himself... Modern AU. Mostly Jerza, but Stingyu is included.
1. Chapter 1: I Bet My Life

**Ok, first attempt at writing a modern-ish AU. Sorry if it sounds super cliche!**

"Where are you, Natsu?" Jellal singsonged as he walked around the arena, gun in hand. Natsu was somewhere here and he needed to die. He walked into a bush and heard a muffled popping sound.

"Damn it!" he cursed. That bastard...

More popping sounds and before he knew it, his screen faded to gray and the words, 'YOU HAVE BEEN KILLED' flashed in front of him.

His Skype played the familiar notes of someone calling and he picked up. On the other line, Natsu was dying of laughter.

"AHAHAHAHAHA! YOU ACTUALLY WALKED INTO ALL OF THEM! AHAHAHA! NICE JOB, BUDDY!"

"Jerk! You cheated!"

"You never said anything about landmines! Just no grenades and snipers! I WIN!"

Jellal remained silent on his end, fuming that he had lost to Natsu. _Natsu._ The guy whose gaming style was:

1\. Pick a person.

2\. When the game starts, follow target and shoot wildly.

3\. Waste all of your ammo.

4\. Die.

5\. Respawn and repeat.

"Oi, Jellal? You still here?"

"Yeah..."

"Diner in 10. You remember the bet, right? RIGHT?"

"Got it. See you in 10."

Natsu ended the Skype call. With a sigh, Jellal sunk down on his rolling chair and pushed off. He sat there and stared at the ceiling for a good five minutes.

 _Well, I'm screwed._

* * *

Jellal walked to Strauss' Diner. The popular restaurant was owned by Mirajane Strauss, commonly known as Mira, and it had good food and prices. He pushed open the door and saw his friends wave to him from their regular booth. In return, he gave a halfhearted smile and nodded back.

"Hi, Jellal!" Mira said as she passed by him with a tray of food. She flashed a smile at him and pointed to his friends, who were now hollering his name.

"Oh, thanks," he replied.

"You lost to Natsu?" Gray asked. He slid to the left, making room for Jellal.

"Yep!" Natsu proudly answered.

"He cheated that's why."

"Hey! Landmines weren't part of your rules!"

"What's the dare?"

A couple of days of ago, they decided to have a gaming tournament. The winner got five bucks and would choose a dare for the loser to do. It was childish thing to do, but hey, free money! Sting had won first place and he threatened that his dare would be harsh. He had looked at Natsu with an evil glint in his eyes.

 _Who would've thought it would be me?_

"Dunno. Sting's not here yet. Oi, Jellal! You wanna buy me some food?" Natsu asked.

"You have some though." There was a giant plate of sandwiches in front of him and half was eaten.

"I need fries!"

Next to Jellal, Gray rolled his eyes and muttered something about Natsu getting fat. "Sting's coming with Yukino. Apparently, she had a really good dare for you."

 _Thank goodness!_ Yukino was Sting's new girlfriend. From what he could tell, she was quiet and kind. How Sting ended up with her, who knows?

"Good. She has more kindness than Sting will ever know in his life," he said.

"Yeah, but her dare's approved by Sting. That means it's going to destroy you," Gray answered. "Hands off, Flame Brain!" He slapped Natsu's hand away from _his_ fries.

"C'mon! Gimme some!" Natsu pleaded. "I made Jellal lose!"

"Tch, doesn't matter to me. You losing would've been more fun."

"Hey!" Sting was standing near the edge of the table. A couple of feet behind him, Yukino was busy fixing the fallen chairs and apologizing to customers.

"Wonderful boyfriend you are, Sting," Jellal smirked. He motioned to Yukino, who was heading over to their booth.

"Thanks. Now, move over for Yukino," he replied.

"It's fine, I got a chair," the girl interjected. While Sting and Jellal were talking, she had taken the liberty to drag a chair over.

"The dare? We're all waiting," Gray said. Natsu nodded his head.

"Hehe, brace yourselves. Jellal's gonna end up in a grave!" he chortled. He nudged his girlfriend, who looked eager to share.

"You have to go on a date with someone," she softly replied.

"That's it?!" Natsu exclaimed. "Laaame!"

"First time I'll agree with this idiot, but that's lame," Gray added.

"I'm fine with that. Easy!" Jellal smiled. He could always ask one of his old friends, no questions asked. Yukino had to be the most kindhearted person on the planet. So, why did Sting approve again... Oh, well!

"She's not even done yet!" Sting grinned. "Go tell 'em!"

Yukino turned her head to face Jellal and slowly said, "You have to go on a date with Erza Scarlet."

Erza Scarlet was well known for being a demon. She had a no-nonsense attitude and had no problem putting people in their place. According to one of Natsu and Gray's horror stories about her, she had nearly broken all of their bones for not paying attention in class.

The whole group, with the exception of Jellal and Yukino, burst out laughing. Natsu and Gray were slamming the table and Sting was near tears.

"AHAHAHAHA! YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!" Natsu shouted. He slammed the table again and high fived Gray.

"Yukino, you... I can't even begin..." Gray laughed. He turned to his victimized friend and said, "You're done for."

While everyone was on the verge of death by laughter, Jellal had millions of thoughts going through his head.

 _I'm screwed! I take it back! Yukino, you have murdered me. My friends are jerks. I'm going to die! My life is over. I should leave town. Would the school notice if I took a 6 month vacation? Damn Natsu and his landmines! I'm going to die; I should schedule my funeral. On my gravestone, it's going to say, 'Death by a Dare'. I can see the headlines now..._

"Hey, Jellal? You want food? We're celebrating!" Sting cheered. Natsu and Gray were already in line.

"Thanks, but no," he replied. They were celebrating him dying; why would he join the party?

"Yukino?"

"I'm not hungry," she answered. "Go ahead, I'll wait here."

As soon as he left, she turned to Jellal and abruptly said, "Do it for me, okay?"

He blinked in confusion and intelligently said, "Huh?"

The girl took a deep breath and quickly spoke. "DoitformeokayErza'sbeenhavingahardtimelatelyandshe'sbeenkindadistantandIthoughtI'dusedthischance" - she took another deep breath - "togethertodosomethingotherthanstudyingandsomeotherschoolstuff."

His expression was blank and she repeated her sentence. "Okay?"

"I was going to do it, anyways. Not that I really want to."

"She's my friend! Erza's really sweet, once you get to know her. You'll live."

"What about all those stories I've been told?"

"Exaggeration. You'll be okay."

He was going to protest against her claim, until he was interrupted by Gray's laughter.

"He's not even gonna make it!"

"What's so funny?" Jellal asked.

"Sting over here had this great idea... Get Erza to fall for you!" Gray answered.

"No!"

"If you can do it, which you probably can't, I'll buy the new game for you," Sting added. "Plus five bucks from each of us."

"Special access and special content, too?"

"Sure, why not?"

 _Well, then... This is going to be interesting..._

 **In case you couldn't decipher that really long sentence:** **Do it for me okay? Erza's been having a hard time lately and she's been kinda distant and I thought I'd used this chance to get her to do something other than studying and some other school stuff.**

 **Thanks for reading! If you did enjoy, please follow since I will be randomly updating.**


	2. Chapter 2: Lucky

**Thank you all for spamming my inbox with so much love! Here's your reward! Sorry it took so long.**

 _You can do it. Go get her!_

As of that moment, Jellal was waiting at the front gate of the school for Erza. Well, waiting for Erza to show up. Yukino had recommended Tuesday. Her friends had their after school clubs and practice to go to, so she would be alone.

"Don't try any pick up lines. Don't act like it's a joke. Don't act like you're afraid of her. If you do any of those, she's not going to take you seriously and you may end up being hurt," Yukino had told him.

"Have fun, buddy!" Natsu grinned. He gave Jellal a not-really-assuring slap on the back and shoved him toward the gate.

 _Back to the present..._

"What are you doing here?" Yukino's soft voice reached his ears and he turned around.

"... Waiting for Erza?" he replied.

"She's under the sakura tree. She's always there after school on Tuesdays. Go!" she gently pushed him back onto school grounds.

Jellal scanned the giant courtyard. They were dozens of sakura trees on campus and he struggled to find the right one. He finally found her; her scarlet hair stood out.

As he got closer, anxiety kicked in and he felt his heart rate go up.

 _Get it over with! Walk, don't turn back._

Now, he was about five feet away from her. It looked like she was doing homework. It _would_ be rude to disturb her...

"Uh... hi!" he said. He plastered a fake smile on his face and half heartedly waved.

She said nothing. She only looked at him and stopped writing or reading or whatever it was she was doing.

"So, umm... you wanna do something together this weekend?" he nervously said. His heart rate was still maintaining the 500 miles it started with. At this rate, he was going to die of a panic attack.

"What are we doing?" she asked, her voice emotionless.

"..." Jellal hadn't actually thought of that. He didn't plan that far ahead, so he said the first thing that came to mind. A pick up line. "I think I need a paralyze heal because you're stunning! I mean, the movies?"

Erza flushed a soft pink (usually a good sign), but he also noticed that her left eye was twitching (not a good sign). However, she just said,"Which one?" Why did she have so many questions?! He could barely keep up with her!

"We can choose when we go." To be honest, he wasn't even sure which movies were still in theater.

He heard her sigh. "Sure. Saturday at one? I'll meet you outside the theater."

"Yeah. See ya."

With that, he turned around and left. His anxiety left him, quickly replaced by the feeling of triumph.

 _I'M ALIVE!_

* * *

""WHAT?! SHE SAID YES?!" The twin voices of Natsu and Gray blared out of his headphones and he winced.

"Yep. In five days time, the new game will be at my doorstep," he gloated. He logged in and invited his friends to a match.

"That's only if she admits she loves you. Which is not going to happen," Gray replied.

"I thought it was if she fell for me."

"Fell for you, loves you, same thing! Start the match so I can kick your- Happy! Get off!"

Jellal rolled his eyes and started the match.

Five minutes later, Natsu had died three times, Gray once, and Jellal none.

"Easy. GG," he sighed. These guys were no match.

"Sting messaged me on Skype! Not fair! Rematch!" Natsu shouted. "What's up, Sting? Where's Rogue?"

"You still alive, Jellal?"

"Yeah."

"Good. Yukinoooo!"

A few seconds later, Yukino had taken Sting's place in the Skype call.

"Did everything go okay?" she asked over the gunfire.

"Mhm," Jellal replied, distracted by Gray's shots.

"Where are you guys going?"

"Uh... movies, I think. Natsu, I can see you."

"Dang it!"

"Yukino, are you done? We're supposed to have match right now!"

"In a bit! Pick an action movie or the new Disney one."

"Why?"

"She likes those. Sting! I'm done! Bye guys!"

The males mumbled their farewells, still engaged in their own battles. Sting and Rogue logged in an match was made.

* * *

After a few rounds, Jellal and Sting were unstoppable.

"I'm done," Rogue sighed. "My team sucks."

"That was all Flamebrain!"

"Look at your score, Ice Stripper!"

"Feeder!"

"Noob!"

"Guys, we don't need this at 5 PM," Sting interjected.

"I agree. Jellal, how did everything go?" Rogue asked.

On his end, the blue haired male internally groaned. Why did they care so much?

"Fine, everything was okay. When did you guys get so interested in my life?"

"Since we knew you had a death wish. We need to make sure you had a good life," Gray answered.

"Nice to know you guys care."

"Hey, Jelly Man! How's this? If you make it out alive and somehow get Erza to say that she loves you, which she probably won't, you get to give anyone you choose a dare! And the person _has_ to do it!" Sting suggested.

Jellal cringed at the nickname. "Sure. I've got nothing to lose."

"We're all good?" Sting asked.

"I'm in."

"I'm all fired up!"

"Bring it on!"

* * *

The rest of the week passed by smoothly, unless you counted the verbal harassment he got from Erza's friends.

 _Wednesday- Levy_

"Did you really ask Erza out? That's so sweet of you! She hasn't gone out for a long time now and..." She kept talking for a good five minutes and all the while, he just nodded his head and said, "Mhm."

 _Thursday- Lucy_

"Hey! I don't mean to bother you, but you asked Erza out, right? I know Levy asked you stuff yesterday, but I just wanted to be sure." He nodded and was about to turn away, until he heard her continue. "Great! I think she might want to watch that new Disney movie... She's a huge fan of Disney and all that..." More rambling and suggestions.

 _Friday- Juvia and Yukino_

"Juvia heard that you asked Erza to the movies! Juvia wants to know what you are watching! A romance one? Ohhh... If only Gray-sama asked Juvia..." He blinked and looked at Yukino for help. She gently nudged her friend out of her fantasy and suggested, "Watch the Disney one. Buy some snacks, too! Have fun, okay?"

* * *

Jellal stared at the ceiling. It was almost one AM, but he still wasn't asleep, yet. He just had to get through tomorrow and maybe a couple more times of asking the redhead out. He knew exactly what he was going to do with the dare. Natsu, prepare to die.

 **Next chapter: Movie date! Any suggestions for a fake movie title, preferably one that Disney would use? Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: Stay Alive

**Thank you for all the suggestions! I have chosen an upcoming Disney movie, so in a few years, people may actually know what I'm referring to. All quotes belong to Disney.**

One PM. Jellal was waiting in front of the movie theater. He paced around, occasionally checking the time on his phone. A few minutes after one, he saw a flash of her familiar scarlet hair. He waited patiently for her to walk towards him.

"Hi," he said. He gave a quick glance at her outfit: black hoodie, jeans, and brown boots. "You... uhh... look nice?"

"Thanks...?" she replied. Jellal noticed that her response was a bit cautious, like she didn't trust him.

"What movie you wanna watch?" he asked as they began walking to get their tickets.

Erza shrugged. "It doesn't matter to me."

"Next!"

They moved up to the booth. The lady behind the transparent wall gave them a smile.

"Two tickets for Beauty and the Beast," he said.

"$27.38."

Jellal slid the money under the screen and in return, the lady gave him the tickets.

"Enjoy the show! Next!"

"I'll pay you back," Erza said.

"No, it's okay. I got it," he replied. "You want something to eat?"

"I'm fine."

"You sure? I'm still getting something."

"Go ahead."

So, Jellal walked up to the counter and asked for a medium popcorn and a small Coke.

"$12.46."

Before he could place the money on the counter, Erza slapped down twenty dollar bill. He opened his mouth to say something to the cashier, but he had already turned away and started to get the snacks.

"Thank you! Enjoy the show!" the cashier grinned as he handed back the change.

"You didn't have to pay. I have money, you know," he remarked as they wandered down the halls, trying to find the correct room.

He got a shrug and something that sounded like, "I promised to pay back."

They entered the room and found seats near the back. After enduring 15 minutes of advertisements, the movie began.

 _Once upon a time, in a faraway land..._

To be honest, Jellal wasn't really interested in the movie. He saw it with his cousin awhile back and really didn't feel like watching it a second time. Instead, he stared at the screen and ate his popcorn. Halfway through the movie, he glanced at Erza. She didn't look so scary, now that he thought about it. Her head was resting on her arm,which she had propped up on the armrest. Her hair hung down like curtain and she looked so intrigued by the movie. Even though he couldn't see her face, she seemed calm and relaxed. It was almost cute. Almost.

He turned back to the movie.

 _Try the gray stuff, it's delicious! Don't believe me? Ask the dishes!_

* * *

The movie ended and Jellal had finished his popcorn and soda ages ago. Erza was still in her seat, in the same position.

"Erza," he whispered. There was no response so he tried again.

"Erza!"

Silence.

"Erza!" This time, he gently shook her.

All of a sudden, she jolted up and she hit his arm.

"Oh! S-sorry!" Even in the dark theater, he could tell that her face was red.

"Were you sleeping?" he asked.

"... Yes?" she quietly answered. "Sorry! I didn't mean to- I mean- Argh!"

She seemed flustered, so he didn't pry.

"It's okay. We should go."

"Yeah..."

They left the theater and stood outside, enjoying the sunshine.

'What are we going to do now?" Erza asked. "Or you just wanted watch the movie?"

"I had nothing planned after," he admitted. "Arcade?"

From what he could tell, she was having a debate with herself. To go or not to go?

"I should really go..." she slowly said. "I have some homework to do."

"Oh, okay. See you around?"

"Yeah, sure..." she replied, as she pulled out her phone from her pocket and began dialing someone. "Cana, can you pick me up?"

"Bye."

* * *

"Hey, is it bad that Erza fell asleep during the movie?"

"She fell asleep?" "WHAT?!" "Are you kidding me?" More shouts of disbelief from his friends.

"Yeah. That's bad, isn't it?"

"From my experience, when the girl falls asleep, it means she's tired," Sting volunteered.

"Gee, Sting, I mean, I didn't know that before!" Jellal answered, his voice dripping heavily with sarcasm.

"Maybe the movie was boring," Rogue suggested.

"No way! You guys watched the Disney one, right?" Gray asked.

"Yeah."

"She loves Disney. No way would she fall asleep during that!"

"Aye! Remember in elementary school? If anybody badmouthed Disney, she would kill them!" Natsu exclaimed.

"You should make it up to her, ya know," Sting said. "Yukino gets mad when she misses out on something, so maybe Erza'll be the same."

"How am I supposed to make it up to her? Anyways, I finished the dare already. I don't need to do anything else."

"No new game then."

"I can get it myself."

"No special content."

"I can buy that myself."

"You got $200 to spare?"

"Do you?"

"Of course! My dad's CEO of the electricity company!"

"Just so we're clear, you're okay with spending $200 on me? Just so Erza can "fall in love" with me?"

"Girlfriend's bugging me; I gotta do something."

"Guys? You have other friends," Gray interjected.

Sting and Jellal ignored his words and carried on with their conversation.

"Jelly Man, if you can get her by December 31st, I'll get you the game and special content."

"No time frame. We had the deal all set up already. And don't call me Jelly Man."

"Okay, _Jelly Man_. I'll toss in $20."

"Deal. She'll be mine by December 31st."

* * *

Tuesday afternoon. Jellal waited under the same sakura tree he had seen Erza under last week. He made it his new goal to sit with her every Tuesday, just so he had more chances to talk to her and get to know her better.

 _Where is she?_

A few minutes passed and he flipped open to a random page in his notebook. He glanced down at the blank page, so it seemed like he was studying. Several people passed by and gave him weird looks.

"What are you doing here?"

 **Sorry for super late update. Fanfiction is not very high on my priorities list right now.**


	4. Chapter 4: Shipped

**Hi guys! I'm back!**

"What are you doing here?"

Jellal looked up to see Erza staring at him. Her left hand clutched the strap of her leather messenger bag tightly and her jaw was clenched. He continued to analyze her until her voice brought him back.

"Well?"

Ignoring her question, he asked, "Are you mad at me or something? You seem pretty tense right now."

She let out an exasperated sigh and flopped onto the floor. Then, she mumbled something like, "Go away."

"Hm?"

Another sigh. "Nothing. Just... never mind."

With that, they both mutually became silent. Erza began working on homework, or at least he assumed it was homework. She was scribbling words like a madwoman. He, on the other hand, continued to observe her. Her face was a bit scrunched up from concentration and every now and then, she made a noise of frustration.

"Do you need help?" he asked. She looked as if she wanted to cry.

"I just hate persuasive writing! I always sound so... sharp and angry!" Erza cried out. She clenched her pencil and bit her lip so hard, it bled.

"Well, aren't you always sharp and angry?" he blurted out. He expected a punch, a slap, a glare, anything brutal from her, but instead, she hung her head.

"Juvia was right about that, then..."

"So, uhh... What are you gonna be for Halloween?" he questioned, desperately trying to change the topic. A sad Erza was something completely new to him and he didn't want to experience it.

"I don't know," she absentmindedly replied, as she continued her essay.

"Are you going to the Halloween Festival?"

"Maybe."

"Are you gonna go with your friends? Or by yourself?"

"Shut up! Please."

A bit miffed, he stopped firing questions at her and let her work. He took out his history textbook and began reading the chapter they were learning. A half hour passed and neither of them spoke.

"Jellal? What are you doing here?"

Jellal looked up from his textbook to see Lucy and Levy standing by the tree.

"The book club finished early today," Lucy explained to them. Well, more Erza than him.

"So, Jellal, what are you doing here?" Levy asked. She smiled an all-knowing grin and slightly tilted her head towards Erza.

"I thought I'd hang out with Erza today," he nonchalantly answered.

"Really?" she drawled, drawing out the 'ea' sound. "I never thought that you would want to... What changed your mind? Your date with her?" Her smile turned into a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat's.

"Levy!" Erza exclaimed as her face turned fire engine red.

"Levy, Erza, we should get going," Lucy interrupted. "Yukino's meeting us at the diner."

Thankful for her interruption, Jellal sent a prayer of thanks. To his right, Erza let out a relieved sigh and stood up.

"Let's go," she suggested.

"Yeah. Levy!" Lucy nudged her petite friend away, who seemed insistent on dragging Jellal along.

"Wanna come, Jellal? Sting and Rogue are going, too," Levy said.

Lucy and Erza were already walking off of school campus and Levy impatiently waited for his answer.

"C'mon! Say yes already! I know you like Erza," she nagged.

"I don't like Erza. Not like that."

"Why else did you ask her out?"

 _They don't know about the dare? I guess that's better than if they knew... I'd be dead._

"Whatever. I'm going."

* * *

"Hey, Jelly Man! I didn't think you'd be here!" Sting greeted. He glanced at Erza. "Did you drag him here?" he asked.

"No. Why would you think that?" she answered. She opened her messenger bag and took out her homework to work on.

"Erza! Take a break!" Lucy said. She reached over to snatch the paper, but Erza beat her to it.

"I have to finish it! I'm so behind..." the redhead mumbled.

"Finish it by Halloween! You're coming with us to the festival!" Lucy declared.

"Hey! What are we gonna do?" Sting interjected. "We gotta our costumes ready!"

"We're too old to dress up and go trick-or-treating, Sting. We went over this," Rogue replied.

With a wave of his hand, Sting dismissed his comment. "For the festival then. If we have a costume, it's like 10% off of everything they're selling."

"Speaking of which! What are we gonna do?" Levy asked. "No animals again!"

" _Mythical_ animals," Yukino joked.

"Yeah!" Lucy agreed.

"Okay, now that you girls are done, the men are gonna talk," Sting said.

"You're not even a man!" Levy argued. "As far as I'm concerned, you're Yukino's _boy_ friend, not manfriend."

Jellal and everyone else laughed at this.

"How about we go as pirates? All the guys!" Sting suggested.

Rogue shook his head immediately. "No pirates."

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I'm going as wolf. Already planned out," Jellal smiled. "Wendy decided that I was finally tall enough to be the Big Bad Wolf."

"Real impressive, buddy. Any ideas for the rest of us?" Sting remarked.

"Sure. Wanna be the rocks and trees from the woods? Maybe one of you guys can be the woodcutter. Anyways, I gotta go. I'm supposed to tutor Wendy in exchange for the costume."

"Later, Jellal." "Bye!" "See ya."

* * *

"Jellal, I need help with number 7," Wendy said.

He looked up from his fabric cutting and headed over to the kitchen table.

"In this problem, x is equal to 14.8. So, substitute x for 14.8 and multiply that by 9. Then, subtract 17.6 from both sides and that's how you solve for y," he explained.

"Thanks you!" she smiled. She punched the numbers into her calculator and scribbled the numbers down. "Um... Jellal, do you have a girlfriend? Mom says that I shouldn't spend so much time with you since you probably have a girlfriend." Wendy said the last part as quickly as she could and blushed whenever she said 'girlfriend'.

"I don't, don't worry. But there is a girl..."

Immediately, he regretted mentioning Erza. Not that he wanted to date Erza, but he didn't want his little cousin to find out about the dare.

"Really?!" she shouted, her eyes shining with the thought of a possible sisterly figure.

"We just went to the movies together, no big deal," he replied as he went back to cutting out the fabric for his costume.

"Oh... Are your friends coming over again for Halloween?"

It had become a tradition for Jellal and his family and friends to come over to his Aunt's Grandeeney's house after the local Halloween Festival for an afterparty. There would be candy and way too much food, along with hide-and-seek in the dark.

"Of course. Tradition."

"Is Yukino going to come?"

Somehow, Wendy found out that Sting and Yukino were a thing. She met Yukino once before and she absolutely adored her.

"Yeah, sure. She might bring her friends, too."

"Is your girlfriend coming?"

Surprised by Wendy's sudden bold teasing, he accidentally cut himself with the scissors. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"You will, won't you? You left your Skype on when I went to your house and I talked to Yukino and she told me about the dare. Are you really going to do that?" Her voice was laced with curiosity and a little bit of sympathy. "If Erza finds out, won't she be really mad? And if she really did love you and you really did love her, wouldn't she be really heartbroken once she finds out?"

Jellal hadn't thought of this. All he really cared about was the new game and how he would make Natsu sorry that he won the round. Erza's feelings never crossed his mind.

"Well, let's hope she won't find out. Either way, I don't think I'll ever love her nor will she ever love me. Hey, can you help me sew this now?"

 **Wendy sounds so much older... Not to mention a lot wiser than her cousin. Next chapter: Halloween Festival! Promise to get it up by Halloween!**


	5. Chapter 5: Halloween Part I

**Late chapter. TL;DR: Siblings, browser closing, no saving.**

 _meet at mid. 1st one there wins!_ the text from Natsu read.

This year, Halloween had fallen on a Saturday. That meant the town festival would last until midnight instead of the usual 10 PM. It began at 7 and Jellal got ready at 6:30.

He put a gray hoodie, gray pants, and the pair of gray Vans Gray loaned him. Then, he tied on the furry cloak that Wendy sewed for him. Just like his clothes, it was gray. He threw on the hood of the cloak, which had ears attached. Out of habit, he glanced at the mirror by his bedroom door that his mother insisted him on having. Not bad. It was pretty legit. After, he slipped his phone in his pocket and went downstairs.

"I'm leaving!" he shouted as he left the house. Once he heard his parents' yells of approval, he shut the door and speed walked to the town square.

Even though it wasn't even 7 PM yet, the entire square was full of people There were stands selling candy apples, popcorn, and a variety of caramelized food. A giant witches' cauldron was in the middle, green fog pouring out of it. A shock of pink hair caught his eye. He smiled to himself. Natsu was already here.

"Hey!" Jellal shouted to his friend, over the thumping bass of the music playing. He pushed through the throngs of people and finally got through.

"Nice costume. Are you cat?" Natsu asked. He reached up and patted Jellal on the head.

"What are you? A fairy?" he shot back. He gestured to Natsu's bright red cardboard wings.

"I'm a dragon, obviously! See the tail?" He turned around and gestured to a snake-like object tied around his waist. There were cardboard spikes running along the top.

"Impressive..."

"... You're a cat, right?"

"Wolf."

"Why don't you have tail? Cats have tails, too."

"We ran out of fabric." That was mostly because Jellal messed up on the cutting. He cut out the completely wrong shape for the ears, twice.

"Hey guys!" A girl with a pair of white wings tapped Natsu on the shoulder and waved high.

"Who are you?" Natsu rudely asked.

"Lucy, right?" Jellal cut in, saving Natsu from the blonde girl's wrath and answering his question.

She calmed down and nodded. "Have you guys seen Levy, Erza, or Juvia? I know that they were planning to walk here together and that Yukino's getting a ride with Sting. Have you seen them, though?"

"Nope!" Natsu replied. "What are you?"

"A dragon. We did a mythical animal/creature theme."

"You don't have a tail! And dragons don't have wings like that!"

"Hey look. Your friends are here," Jellal interjected. He did not want to be in the middle of an argument and the Lucy's friends really were here. They were just a good 20 feet away.

"Oh! Over here, guys!" she shouted over the din. She waved her hand wildly in the air, trying to get their attention.

"Jellal! Look at Gray! What an idiot! Who chooses to be a pirate?!" Natsu chortled. He pointed at Gray through the crowd

He remained silent, thinking back to what Rogue said. _"No pirates."_

"Hi!" Levy bounced over to Lucy, a pair of wings also hanging down her back. "Hey, Natsu, Jellal."

The two males nodded their greetings and turned back to watching Rogue and Gray.

"... We're... here..." Rogue gasped out. He was out of breath from pushing through the crowd, which had grown at least five times bigger. He used the end of his Dracula cape to wipe his forehead, which was covered in sweat.

"Gray-sama!" Jellal vaguely heard as Gray got through, already sweating.

"Damn people..." he quietly muttered. "Levy! Natsu's a fairy, too!" he continued.

"Lucy! He's a dragon, like you! How cute!" Levy smiled. Her grin turned wicked and she winked at Lucy. "Did you guys plan this? Hm?"

"Levy!" At this point, Jellal could see the flames coming out of her mouth.

"Juvia is here!" The bluenette was dressed as a mermaid, complete with a turquoise tail and a pearl necklace. "Erza said she was going to use the restroom and that she'd be here soon."

"Where's Sting?" Rogue asked. "He texted me. Said he'd be here."

"He's coming with Yukino," Lucy answered. "I'm gonna get some food. Anyone wanna come?"

"Me!" Natsu and Gray dashed to the nearest food stand and pushed her along.

"Um... me, too?" Levy slowly said. She chased after the trio, nudging people out of the way as she went.

"I'm gonna walk around. Bye guys," Jellal said. He waved his hand, signaling he was leaving.

He wandered around aimlessly, trying not to hit the younger kids that were running around. On sheer whim, he bought candy apple for no reason. He fiddled with the stick, occasionally twirling it around.

"Watch it!" he heard someone say as he played around with the candy apple's stick.

"Oh, sorry," he replied as he tried to figure out who it was. He twisted his head to see a girl with red hair wearing a red, orange, and gold dress made out of gauzy fabric. "Erza?"

"Yeah..."

"Nice costume," he commented. It really was nice. There were fiery details and a few golden feathers here and there.

"Thanks. It's Lucy's. I think Flare gave it to her. Where's everyone else?"

"Somewhere. They're getting food. You want anything to eat?"

She scowled a bit. "Every time I see you, you try to feed me."

He let a hesitant laugh and shrugged it off. "Let's find them."

* * *

"Natsu! Gray! Lucy! Levy!" he shouted. He spotted them in another line. Forgetting that he was at the Halloween Festival in front of him, he walked towards them. A group of people walked by and his friends were gone.

"Yukino! Over here!" Erza yelled. She brushed past some people, but was quickly pushed back by a trio of witches.

Jellal gave up. _meet at parking lot by 10. afterparty at my place,_ he texted.

Since they couldn't really find any of their friends, they just spent most of their time running around, collecting the free candy from the stands. During that time, he found out that Yukino was right. Erza wasn't that bad to be around with.

"I wish they gave out cake," she said out of the blue. She ripped open a Hershey bar and started nibbling on it.

"The city would be broke if they gave out cake," he replied.

She shrugged. "It'd be better. Why have candy when there's cake? Especially when there's strawberry cake." For a rare moment, she smiled a genuine smile and sounded so wistful.

"You really like cake, huh?"

"Yeah..."

"You're coming to the afterparty right? It's at my Aunt Grandeeney's place." Seeing her hesitation, he quickly added, "My friends are coming and I think yours, too. Plus, Wendy always bakes on holidays."

"When does the party start?"

 **Part 2 next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6: Halloween Part II

**Part 2! Thanks for being patient!**

The phoenix and the wolf headed toward the parking lot at 9:45 or so. Unsurprisingly, they were there first.

"I don't think everyone got the text. Can you tell your friends?" he asked Erza.

She nodded her head and took out her phone. "Call or text?"

"As long as they get it," he answered. He saw her phone case and let out a chuckle. "You really love cake, don't you?"

In response, she lovingly fingered her case. "Be quiet, I'm calling."

"HELLO?" he heard. He couldn't identify the voice.

"Parking lot, right now. Tell the others."

"WHAT?"

A sigh and a deep breath. "PARKING LOT NOW!"

"OKAY!"

"TELL THE OTHERS!"

"OKAY! BYEEEE!"

She shut off her phone and tucked it away into a hidden pocket. They stood there in an awkward silence until everyone arrived.

"Hey!" Lucy shouted. Her dragon wings flapped wildly around her as she ran.

"Ha! I win, Gray!" Natsu exclaimed, huffing and puffing.

"Tch. Like I care. I wasn't even trying," Gray replied with a roll of his eyes.

"Anyways, who's going with who?" Sting cut in. "Yukino's with me. I can take a couple more."

"Erza, why did you call us here?" Juvia asked as Sting and Yukino decided who was riding with them.

"Halloween party at my aunt's place," Jellal replied.

"Me, Levy, and Rogue are going with Yukino," Lucy announced. "I'm not sure about the rest of you guys though..."

"The rest of us can take my car," Gray volunteered.

"See you guys there!" Levy yelled out as the two parties split.

"Shotgun!" Natsu exclaimed. He raced to Gray's car and tugged on the door handle.

"I'm taller than you, Natsu. I get it," Jellal replied.

"If you're going to get sick, do it in the back," Gray added. "Hurry up and get moving."

* * *

Jellal grinned as he watched Natsu stumble out of the car. He had climbed over Juvia and nearly thrown out of the window by Erza just to get off.

"I'M FREE!" he cried out.

"Maybe I should've gone faster," Gray mused. Juvia giggled at his comment.

"Jellal!" Wendy burst through the front door and hugged her older cousin. "Is everyone here? You really look like a wolf!"

"We're here!" Rogue's faint shout was barely heard by them.

"Let me fix your ears. They're kinda messed up," Wendy said. Jellal bent down and lowered his hooded head. "Which one's Erza?" she whispered as she pretended to fix his wolf ears.

"Red hair," he answered back.

"Okay, I'm done! Hurry up; everyone's already in the backyard!" she quickly said. "Erza's really pretty," she commented. She blushed and added, "I hope she really does like you."

He smirked and replied, "What's not to like about me?"

* * *

"Jellal! Have some food!" his Aunt Grandeeney said. She handed him a plate and began stacking piles of food on it.

He gaped at the amount and thanked his aunt.

"You gonna eat that?" Natsu asked. Without waiting for an answer, he snatched a burger, some watermelon slices, and a fruit tart off his plate.

"Is Happy here?" Wendy appeared out of nowhere.

"Nah, he's at home. I'll bring him over next time. He really likes Carla," he replied.

"Yeah. Is Yukino here? I wanna say hi to her."

"She's talking to Luigi right now."

"Who's Luigi?"

"I'll take you to her, Wendy. Let's go," the wolf said. "And I'll introduce to everyone else."

A few minutes later, Wendy had been introduced to everyone she didn't know. When she got to Erza, she nearly lost it.

"She really likes cake," he added after Erza and Wendy acquainted themselves. "Especially strawberry."

"Really? I made some cake! Do want a slice?" the younger girl politely asked.

"It's fine! I'm not that hungry! You don't have to!" Erza swiftly answered.

"I'll be back with a slice," Wendy chirped as she ran off.

"She would've got you one either way," he told the redhead.

"She wouldn't have if you hadn't told her that I like cake!" she fired back.

"Might as well satisfy your craving. Besides, she loves baking and ends up baking too much during the holidays." He glanced at her and saw her trying to suppress a smile. "You'll have some to take home later." With that, she smiled.

"Here, try it!" Wendy dashed back with a slice of cake.

"What flavor is it?"

"Chocolate. I didn't bake strawberry this year, sorry."

"It's fine." Erza stuck the fork into the tip of the slice and cut a piece. "It's good. It's really good. You should let the others try."

Wendy's eyes lit up. "Is it that good?"

"Well, I consider myself a cake expert. If I say it's good, then it is!"

"You should dish out more slices, Red Riding Hood," Jellal said.

"I will!" She ran back inside the house, probably to cut more cake.

"Can I try? It is my favorite after all," he jokingly asked. He gently pried away the fork from her and cut himself a piece.

"Hey!" Faster than he could register, she took the fork away and stuck the cut piece in her mouth. "No one steals from me."

* * *

"You guys wanna play hide-and-seek in the dark now?" Rogue suggested.

"You wanna play just because you always win!" Natsu complained.

"Dragneel, you always lose because you try to scare someone!" Gray retorted.

"That sounds fun! Let's play!" Levy interjected.

"Who's it, then?" Jellal asked.

* * *

"Natsu, you really suck at hiding. In game and in real life," Jellal remarked. "Your hair really stands out."

"Go find everyone else!"

He smiled to himself as he heard Natsu climb out of the tree. He stood still and listened for any strange noises.

"Luigi! I see you!" Natsu exclaimed. He pointed to a lock of blonde hair poking out of a bush. He walked over and tugged on the stray lock.

"Ow! And my name isn't Luigi! It's Lucy!" she indignantly cried out as she slapped his hand away. "You're coming with me, Wendy!" She pulled the girl out from behind the bush, despite Wendy's complaints.

"Are we allowed to help?" Lucy asked. "The sooner we finish this round, the sooner we can start another one."

"NO HELPING!" Rogue called from somewhere to the right. Then, he cursed.

Jellal ran over and dug around until he found Rogue. With him out of the way, the rest of the round was a piece of cake.

"Easy round. Natsu, you're it now."

* * *

Until midnight, they rotated between playing hide-and-seek in the dark and eating.

"Hey, guys? I gotta go. My dad's expecting me," Lucy said.

"We all should go," Rogue said. "We've been stealing all your food."

With Rogue's comment in mind, nearly everywhere left. All the girls, with the exception of Erza, got a ride with Lucy and the guys either drove home, got a ride, or walked (Natsu).

"Alright! Clean up time!" Grandeeney announced.

Jellal and Wendy groaned. Cleaning up after a party was the worst.

"Can I help?" Erza asked. Without her friends around her, she turned back into the Erza he knew: quiet, reserved, but lethal.

"You can help by taking some food home," Jellal teased. "We have a lot of cake this year."

"Here, sweetie. Take it! Don't be shy!" Grandeeney dropped a platter of leftover cake and some other food in her hands.

"Oh! I really shouldn't... I can't take-"

 _Beep!_ "Erza! I'm here!"

"Go now! Your sister's here!" Grandeeney smiled. "Take it with you!"

"Uh... Thank you... That's not my sister, by the way... I board with Cana and Gildarts..."

"Either way, take it! Go now!" Jellal's aunt gently pushed her away.

"Bye!" Wendy shouted. She waved her hand and Erza turned her head to smile her goodbye.

Jellal looked up right at that moment to say goodbye.

"See you Monday!"

Her smile was imbedded in his mind for the rest of the night.

 **Such a fluffy ending. Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7: Double Date

**Warning: Lots of dialogue. Lots and lots.**

"Jellal! My man! What a flirt you are!" Sting crowed over Skype.

He choked on his sandwich and spit out the piece of bread and ham he was chewing on.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he managed to get out in between his mild coughing fit.

"I saw you talking with Erza! When'd you get that daring?" Even through Skype, he felt him smirking.

"I have to be daring to talk to someone? Look at you! Talking to Yukino all the time!" he answered.

"She's my girlfriend. Different story. Anyways, back to you... Any new plans?"

"For what? Hold on, Natsu's calling."

"WHY DO YOU LEAVE ME OUTTA YOUR CALLS?" Jellal (and probably Sting) winced at his loud voice and lowered the volume a bit.

"We're talking about stuff that you have no experience with. For example, girls," Sting drawled.

Jellal cringed. "You make us sound so... perverted..."

"Not even!"

"Ask Gray. He should know the difference," Natsu chimed.

"Something must've happened. We left you guys alone for like, the entire night! She should felt some attraction towards you or is that impossible?" Sting chuckled.

"You guys purposely, _purposely,_ ditched me? Thanks a lot..."

"Point is, time's ticking..."

* * *

 _Alright. So, I'm doing this **again**..._

On Tuesday afternoon, he sat with Erza again after school. This time, she didn't even glance at him. She just continued on whatever she was doing.

"Hey," he greeted.

She looked up and gave him a tight smile. Then, she ducked her head and resumed writing.

"What's wrong with you?" he teased. Or at least, he thought he sounded like he was teasing.

"Tired, stress, angry. Life of a high school student. What else?" she snapped.

 _Okay, maybe I shouldn't be asking her now... Screw that! I gotta game to win!_

"You wanna go out again?" he nervously asked.

"Excuse me, but did you say 'go out'? As in go on a date?"

"Uh, yeah! So?" he answered. Why did it have to be so stressful asking a girl?

"Did Yukino put you up to this?" she asked. She ran her fingers through her hair and fiddled with her silver earring.

He felt his eyes widen in horror. Until she continued, that is.

"Or Mira? She's been waiting for ages... Argh!"

After he finally recovered, he replied, "Or... What if I wanted to? On my own accord?"

 _I shouldn't have said that! Who do you think you are, Jellal?!_

"Jellal, you're a terrible liar. And either way, the answer is no."

"Why not? You said okay to the first one."

"Because I didn't have the energy to deal with you!"

"So, you have the energy now?"

"I said no!"

"C'mon! It'll be fun!"

"Jellal, this is the last time I'm telling you: no."

Her voice was shaky and her shoulders were trembling. A curtain of scarlet prevented him from seeing her face, but she was obviously angry.

"Call me when you're up for it," he softly replied. Then, he got up and walked away.

* * *

"Hey, is Yukino there? I need help," he asked Sting.

"Seriously? With what?"

"Erza."

"YUKINO! JELLAL NEEDS HELPS!"

A few muffled noises and the sound of footsteps.

"Did something happen?" she worriedly asked.

"Well, I tried asking her out again and that obviously turned out well."

"Was she angry?"

"What do you think?"

"Well, I think you'll be okay. Give her some time. She's just stressed."

"Stressed? About what?" Sting snorted. "I say she's angry."

"Give her time! Maybe she'll change her mind, Jellal."

* * *

The next day, Jellal walked to school armed with apologies and sympathy for Erza. Out of sheer desperation, he asked Wendy for help and her answer was sympathy. He first saw her in the hallway.

"Sorry about yesterday," he said. _Lame, Jellal, lame!_

She gave him a puzzled look and hesitantly answered, "It's fine..."

"But if you still want to, I'm open! We could... uh... go to the arcade! Yeah, the arcade!" he quickly continued.

Instead of walking away or saying no again, she stayed where she was and replied, "Meet you there on Saturday. One o'clock."

Then, she walked away.

* * *

 _What was that?_ The question annoyed him all day, begging for an answer. _When all fails, ask someone._

At lunch, he went to his friends for help. Not that they were helpful.

"Someone told me you asked Erza out again," Sting started.

"Can we not talk about this? This is _boring!_ " Natsu protested. "Did you hear? They're adding more weapons!"

While Gray and Natsu animatedly chatted (argued) about the new weapons, Jellal, Rogue, and Sting continued their powwow.

"So?" Rogue prompted.

"So what?" Jellal responded.

"Erza, date."

"Right. We're going to the arcade."

"Cool, can me and Yukino come? I've waiting for reason to drag her there!" Sting exclaimed. "It won't be as awkward for you."

"It'd be a shame if I embarrassed you with my pro skills," Jellal smirked. "You still up for it?"

"Of course! You wanna come Rogue?"

"I'm good."

"Then it's settled. Double date on... when?"

"Saturday, one."

* * *

"What are you doing here, Yukino, Sting?" Erza asked.

Jellal and Erza were already inside the arcade and were waiting their turn to play a shooter game.

"Double date!" Sting cheered. He dragged a reluctant Yukino behind the two.

"It was Sting's idea," she softly said. She didn't look too happy about being there.

"Jellal said it was okay!" Sting replied defensively.

Erza then turned to Jellal. "You didn't tell me they're were coming."

"Are you... mad?"

"No! Why would I be mad?"

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking you!"

"Now that the old married couple is done arguing, can you guys move up? It's your turn," Sting interrupted.

Jellal shot a glare at him and inserted his quarter in the slot. He picked up the gun and planted himself in front of the screen. Erza did the same.

"Who do you think is going win?" he heard Yukino ask. "My bet's on Erza."

"Yeah. I mean, he lost to Natsu, so he's pretty bad," he heard.

"One v one me, scrub!" Jellal called over his shoulder. He shot two people and moved on.

"Says the guy who's losing!" Erza laughed.

He quickly glanced at her screen and saw that she was ahead by three.

"Hey! I was distracted!"

"Twenty seconds, guys," Yukino reminded.

With that in mind, he went into overdrive mode and began shooting anything moving. One down. There goes another. Headshot. Reload and shoot.

The timer sounded and the game ended. The final scores appeared on the screen. Jellal let out a sigh of relief. He beat Erza by eight.

"Play for me?" Yukino pleaded the redhead.

"No, sorry. You're on your own," she replied.

Jellal watched from the sidelines as Sting easily took down the first wave. Yukino, on the other hand, was struggling a bit.

"You can do it! There's one behind the wall!" Erza stood next to her friend and shouted encouragement and help.

The game ended and there was 23 point difference.

"In all fairness, this was my first time. And my aim is terrible."

"Jellal, let's show them how the real pros play!"

 **So, I'll just leave that there. Since I'm on break, I might be putting up a new chapter sometime this week. No promises though. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Chapter 8: Double Date Part II

**Warning: I have no idea this chapter is going. Sidetracked from original plan, but screw that.**

After showing off their skills, the girls took a turn. Jellal couldn't help but shout out everything they were doing wrong. Sting couldn't either.

"You're holding the gun wrong!"

"Don't shoot randomly!"

"Yeah, try to aim!"

"You missed one!"

"You're holding the gun wrong again!"

Halfway through, Erza snapped. She whirled around, lightning fast, and promptly kicked the nearest person's shin. Unfortunately, that person was Jellal.

"Don't tell me how to play! Or Yukino, for that matter!" Then, she turned back and continued firing at the enemy.

"You okay, buddy?" Sting had watched the incident happen and was now smiling through his fake concern.

"I just got kicked. Definitely okay," he replied.

"Good to know. Yukino, seriously! You missed another guy!"

Jellal bent down to rub his shin. He softly sighed, knowing there was going to be a bruise.

The game ended with Erza winning. They handed their guns to the next people in line.

"Air hockey?" Yukino suggested. "It's the one game I'm decent at."

Jellal nodded his head in agreement and Sting did, too. Erza, on the other hand, shook her head.

"You guys go ahead. I'll watch."

"Play a game with us! Me versus you!" Yukino pleaded.

"I'd like to, but I can't. I got banned from playing air hockey here."

"How do you do that?" Jellal asked.

"Long story short, I injured another person with the puck on accident." Seeing their confused faces, she explained. "I hit the puck too hard and it bounced off the table. The next person in line got hit."

Jellal slowly nodded his head and made a mental note to never play against Erza. Or with either.

"Mira's then?" Yukino suggested.

* * *

"Ooh! Is this a double date I see?" Mira cooed. She gestured her hand to Jellal and Erza. "When did you guys get together?"

"Never!" Erza nearly shouted. She flushed red and looked away.

Ignoring Mira's teasing, he gave her his order. "Coke and fries, please."

"Mhm. No burger? And how about everyone else?" she said, completely forgetting about their relationship status and going into saleswoman mode.

"Same as Jellal's."

"Strawberry cake."

"Small slice of vanilla cake, please."

"I'll bring it to your table in a bit! So, who's paying?"

* * *

"Thanks for paying, Sting," Jellal said.

Sting shrugged and turned back to his food. "No problem. You guys wanna go back to the arcade after? We played like, two games."

"I should go after this. I need to finish up extra credit," Erza replied.

"No! Please stay for another hour or so! It's extra credit!" Yukino begged. "I don't want to be alone!"

"Ahem," Sting coughed. Jellal nodded his head in agreement.

"It's more fun with a girl around. For me, at least."

"I can't. Besides, I have to prepare and make dinner."

"It's not even two, yet!"

"I have extra credit to do, as well. It'll take up time."

A silence loomed over them. Yukino ran out of reasons and the guys really had nothing to say to begin with.

"I should go. Thanks for paying, Sting. I'll pay you back tomorrow," Erza said. She slid out of the booth and stood up.

"Nah, my treat. See ya," he waved. After that, he elbowed Jellal sharply and tilted his head towards her. His facial expression said, _Go! Do_ _something!_

"II'll walk you home," he blurted out. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Sting nod in approval.

"No, it's fine. You don't have to," was the reply.

"See you guys Monday," Jellal said, ignoring Erza's sounds of protest.

* * *

"So, uh, where's your house?" he asked, trying to make small talk.

"Just a few blocks away."

They continued their walk in silence. During that time, Jellal couldn't help but notice how distracting her hair was. It was a such a vibrant color; it caught his attention way too often. The wind blew the longest strands of her hair towards him. Without meaning to, he reached out and gently touched the scarlet lock.

"What are you doing?" she asked. She turned toward him, a frown forming on her face.

Quick as he could, he dropped the lock of air and pretended he was staring at other side of the road. "Nothing. Walking. Breathing. Looking at the street.

"Did you just touch my hair?" She absentmindedly ran her fingers through her hair, as if she was chexking that he didn't taint it.

"There was a leaf in it," he lied.

"... Oh. Okay..."

Another silence. They turned right into a smaller neighborhood and stopped in front of a two story house.

"You live in a nice house."

"I just board here."

Without realizing it, he walked her to the front door. All of a sudden, it opened with a slam and a brunette with a pack of a beer was underneath the doorway.

"Back already? And who's that?" the brunette asked, gesturing at Jellal.

"Cana, Jellal. Jellal, Cana," Erza answered. "Where are you going?"

"Out. Anyways, I approve, so just get him through Gildarts."

"What?" and "It's not like that!" echoed through the house.

Cana only smirked. "Anyways, it's Bacchus' birthday, so I better get going. Don't get too cozy with her, you hear?"

"Cana!"

"Just kidding! Don't forget to save me some dinner!" Then, she sauntered off.

"Don't mind her," Erza sighed. "She might be a little drunk."

"Er... She's seems nice," Jellal hesitantly commented.

To his surprise, Erza laughed. "She is. She's a great listener."

"I should go, so..."

"Yeah, sure."

"See ya."

"Bye."

* * *

"What happened? What happened?!" Natsu asked. "Who won? Jellal, right?"

"What are you talking about?" Gray replied. "We haven't played with Jellal yet, let alone start a game."

"Him versus Sting at the arcade!"

"I won," Jellal replied. "We only played one game though."

"Invite us. Why'd you guys go to the arcade?" Gray asked.

"Double date."

"Any injuries?"

"Bruised shin, courtesy of Erza."

Natsu and Gray howled with laughter.

"Did you beat her and she got mad?"

"You're lucky to be alive, then!"

"I'm gonna kick you guys out if you don't shut up."

That silenced them.

* * *

In between their third game, Jellal's phone rang. He silenced the Skype call and picked up.

"Hello?" he said as ran around, firing at the enemy.

"Hi! Can you watch Wendy, please? The pharmacy called and there's an issue," Grandeeney said. He heard her pacing and knew she was in a rush.

"Yeah, I'll come in 15 minutes. Just go. I think Wendy can handle 15 minutes by herself." He fired another round of bullets and bit back the urge to curse.

"Thank you, thank you!" she sighed with relief. "I better go, bye." Then, she hung up.

He turned his Skype back on and reentered the world of screaming, swearing, and in general, mass chaos.

"I need to watch Wendy. Let's finish this."

* * *

"Jellal, is everything okay with you and Erza?"

He had arrived at his aunt's house a few minutes ago and his cousin was already asking about Erza.

"You really like her, huh?"

She smiled and stroked Carla. "It'd be nice to have a girl around, according to Mom."

"We went to the arcade today with Sting and Yukino."

"C-can you ask if she wants to come over? Please?"

"She said she was busy."

"Please? Tell her we'll make cake together!" She gave him a pleading look and hugged him for good measure.

He sighed and gave in. The things he did for his little cousin...

"Hey Sting. Can you ask Yukino for Erza's number?"

 **Happy Holidays!**


	9. Chapter 9: Deals and Dates

**Shout out to everyone who survived finals! Happy holidays!**

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Erza!" Wendy smiled as she opened the door. She beckoned her in and shut the door behind her.

"Hello," Erza replied. At that point, Jellal jumped up from the couch to greet her.

"Hi. This was Wendy's idea by the way," he said.

She flashed a small smile at him. "I never turn down cake."

* * *

"What are we doing?" Jellal asked, completely lost.

"Measuring the ingredients," Wendy answered. She poked her head out of a cabinet and raised the measuring cup. "Found out!"

"Why don't you guys just eyeball it? It's faster."

"You can't do that! The cake won't taste right!" Erza immediately turned to him and he instinctively braced himself for an attack. He got one; he got a lecture.

After the first fifteen seconds, he zoned out. As much as he loved cake, he was not interested in a speech about it.

"Right, got it," he mumbled.

"Jellal, can you get us one and one fourth cups of water?" Wendy tossed him the measuring cup and resumed hunting for more ingredients.

"This doesn't measure a fourth..." he said. "Can I just estimate?"

Erza sighed and took the cup away from him. She turned it the other way and now he could see the correct numbers.

"Should I go?"

"Yes, please," they both replied.

* * *

With nothing to do, he flopped down onto the couch and watched whatever was playing on the tv. He was in the middle of a Scooby-Doo rerun when Wendy announced that they were done.

"You wanna try? If there's any left, that is," she added.

He shrugged and went into the kitchen, where a good third of the cake was placed in Erza's plate. She sheepishly smiled and gestured toward the other two-thirds of the cake.

"You want more?" Jellal asked when she was done. He pushed his plate towards her.

"You keep trying to feed me..." she scowled. Wendy laughed at her comment and nudged her cousin's plate closer.

"You should take it before I do," he replied.

"I'm not hungry," she answered.

"Why don't you tale the rest home? You can share it with your family," the little girl suggested.

Abruptly, Erza stood up. "I need to make dinner. I should go."

"Take the cake home!" Jellal remarked.

" I couldn't. Bye! And thank you."

"Jellal can walk you home!"

"What? No! Aunt Grandeeney will kill me if I left you alone!"

"I'm taking the bus. It's fine," the redhead called over her shoulder.

"Come over for Thanksgiving! Bye!" Wendy shouted.

* * *

To Jellal's disappointment, she did not come over for Thanksgiving. If she had, he wouldn't have to eat a week's worth of Thanksgiving leftovers. Maybe five days instead of seven.

"I'm done! I'm buying lunch tomorrow!" he declared on Wednesday.

"Same here," Rogue said. "Too many leftovers for you as well?"

"Aunt Grandeeney went wild this year. Two turkeys for ten people..."

"Lucky bastard! Igneel was so cheap! I only got a chicken! And he got a whole turkey!" Natsu fumed. "Can I have your sandwich, Jellal?"

"Take it," Jellal sighed. He was fine with eating apple pie for lunch. "We have even more at home."

"Invite us next year," Gray suggested. "Ur nearly burnt all of the dinner and Lyon ate everything that wasn't burnt."

"Knowing Grandeeney, she'll still manage to overload," Rogue said. "How are you and Erza, by the way?"

"Great. Wonderful. Fantastic."

"Good. Anyways, everyone set up a date for you two!" he continued.

"WHAT?" He glanced at his friends' faces. He detected no lies. "I just went on with her!"

"That was, what, a month ago? And I was there," Sting objected.

"I didn't think you wanted me to win the bet," Jellal said, trying to worm his way out of the set up.

"Once again, it was all Yukino's idea! We just hitched a ride on the bandwagon."

"Plus, she promised to buy us lunch the next day!" Natsu added.

"I'm not going!" he declared.

"Nope! You have to go or else we don't get lunch," Gray said. "She's paying for whatever we order, so you're going!"

"I'm not going! Besides, finals are next week!" he argued.

"Luckily, it's after finals!" Rogue announced. He smiled and sympathetically patted Jellal's arm. "It'll be okay."

"C'mon, Jelly-Man! Don't make us bully you into this!" Sting grinned. "How about another deal? Beat me one on one and you won't have to go."

"I'm feeling confident today. You sure?" he taunted. "4 PM?"

"Whoever gets first kill wins."

* * *

"C'MON STING! GO KILL HIM!"

"DIE JELLAL!"

"HE'S BEHIND YOU!"

"HE HAS A SHOTGUN! WATCH OUT!"

"HE'S ON THE ROOF!"

Shouts of encouragement for Sting to win flooded his ears. While he and Sting were killing each other in the arena, Rogue, Natsu, and Gray were spectating. They got a full view of what was happening.

"How much health do you have now?" Jellal smirked. He had just shot Sting a few times before the blonde retreated.

"More than you," was the reply. Jellal's screen flashed red and he turned his vision around. Before he could even see his friend, the words, 'YOU HAVE BEEN KILLED' appeared.

Cheers erupted and laughter ensued. He stared at the screen, dumbfounded.

 _Nonononononono._

"Well, looks like you're going," Sting said.

"Rematch! You had those idiots helping you!" Jellal cried out. He drummed his fingers across the table in irritation.

"Hey!"

"I'm not an idiot!"

"Nope. No rematch. I won."

He sighed. He never went back on his word and he wouldn't start now. "When and where?"

"Later. Just meet at my house the Friday after finals."

"Why your house?"

"Location's a surprise. Now, start studying for finals. I hear Erza won't date an idiot."

 **Thanks for reading! Sorry for late updates.**


	10. Chapter 10: Sky Full of Stars

**Double digits! :)**

Jellal was dead. Finals drained so much out of him. For nearly a week, he had stayed up all night, studying everything in the textbook. By the time finals were over, his head was crammed with unnecessary vocabulary words, useless historical facts, and math formulas that he would never use outside of school.

Now that that was over, it was time for his date with Erza.

* * *

"What do you want?" was his greeting to Sting's call.

"Hello to you, too. Wear something warm. I don't wanna be sued if you get hypothermia."

"'K. Anything else?"

"My house, 6 PM."

"Bye."

The call ended and Jellal tossed his phone onto his bed. He went over to his closet. What does one wear to a date with a demon?

* * *

He ended up wearing a hoodie and a pair of jeans. Considering his wardrobe was made up of hoodies, jeans, and shorts, he thought he looked pretty good. He boarded the bus and tapped his fingers on his thigh anxiously.

After fifteen minutes, he arrived at the nearest bus top. The bus screeched to halt and he hopped off. Then, he set off on foot.

"Hey! Anyone home?" he shouted after no one answered the doorbell.

Faint footsteps. The door cracked open to reveal Gray's face.

"What are you doing here?" Jellal asked. He stepped inside the house and shut the door behind him.

"Setting up for your date," Gray replied. He stretched and sighed. "You have no idea how much work we put into this."

"Things you do for free lunch."

"Yeah, yeah. Get to the backyard before Flamebrain ruins it all."

Jellal walked through the house and slid open the screen door that lead outside with Gray right behind him. He stepped out into the backyard and turned to ask Gray where he was supposed to go.

"Why'd you lock me out?!" he growled. He tried sliding the door with no avail.

"You're not allowed to come back inside till your date's over," Gray smirked. "Date ends at 9, I think."

"What?!"

"Go. Erza's been waiting for awhile now. She'll be on the top of the hill. See ya!"

Before Jellal could protest, his wonderful friend flashed him another smirk and sauntered off. He halfheartedly tried the door again. Then, he started the the walk the hill.

* * *

Why was Sting's backyard so big? Right, his dad was the CEO of the electricity company. Unfortunately, the hill where his date was taking place was on the other side of the property. He arrived after five minutes and saw Erza sitting on the top with what looked like a picnic spread around her.

"Hey," he said, a bit out of breath. "Is this dinner?"

"Yeah. Hello to you as well," she replied. "Do you want to eat right now? Or later?"

"Right now's good," he answered. He scanned through the food selection. Sandwiches, a salad, and a six inch cake. He took a sandwich while Erza served herself some salad.

"No cake?" he teased.

"Later. Mira's salad is really good. And it's expensive, too."

"I'll eat all of it before you do." He finished off his sandwich and wondered why it was so small. "Mira made this?"

"Levy told her" -she blushed here- "and she volunteered to make the food. You better not eat all of the cake."

"No promises. What are we supposed to do for three hours?"

She shrugged and cut a slice of cake. "Here." She handed him the plate of cake.

"Seriously? Never thought you would be willing to share," he mused. "Thanks."

"In case you haven't realized it, I'm not heartless."

"Could've fooled me." He glanced her way to see her reaction.

"If there wasn't any cake here, you would be dead. By the way, the rest of it's for me."

"Hey!"

* * *

An hour later, there was no more food. Erza, true to her word, ate the rest of the strawberry cake. Guess who ate everything else?

"Now what?" he said. "Wanna play a game?"

"The way you said the last sentence made you sound like a child," she smiled.

He rolled his eyes. "Anyways, we ask each other questions. I know nothing about you."

"But you still asked me out?"

 _Damn my tongue!_

"W-well... I know that you're... um... a girl! And-and that you're smart and... uh... you have red hair..." He could practically feel her grinning at his discomfort.

"Mhm... Any other reasons?"

 _What do I do now? Argh, damn it!_

"You seemed pretty cool and stuff. And Yukino thought we had stuff in common," he lied. "Anyways, favorite Disney movie?"

"They're all really good..." She seemed to have forgotten the other topic, which was good. "Either Mulan or Frozen, I guess. My turn. Favorite color?"

"Scarlet," he blurted out. "It's a... nice color. It has nothing to do with your hair!"

"My surname then?"

"No! Your favorite color?"

"Blue. Not because of your hair either," she quickly added. "Favorite cake flavor?"

"Chocolate. Wendy's chocolate cake is the best."

She raised an eyebrow at his answer. "Strawberry cake is the best."

"Chocolate."

"Strawberry." She tilted her chin up, daring him to disagree. And he did.

"Chocolate." Before she could open her mouth, he suggested they stargaze. "Whoever finds the most constellations wins."

* * *

In the end, Jellal won since he had taken an astronomy class and therefore knew a lot about the stars.

"That's not fair!" Erza exclaimed when he admitted that to her.

He only shrugged and continued staring at the star speckled night sky.

"It's beautiful..." he heard her softly mumble.

"You've never seen it like this? Or you just don't go outside much?" he questioned.

"First time stargazing in a couple of years. In middle school, Lucy and I had to do a project about the stars. I forgot how nice it looked," she wistfully replied.

He sat up and looked down at the girl laying down next to him. "You should really get out more. You're not as tense as you were when we met."

"Mhm. What time is it right now?"

"Don't you have your phone with you?"

"Right." She sat up and combed her disheveled hair. Then, she slid her phone out from her pocket and switched it on. "It's a little past 8."

"'K. What are you gonna do for Christmas?"

"Nothing special. Open gifts, watch Christmas movies, shovel snow, if we get any. Why?"

"No reason."

 _Should I get her something? I'm not her boyfriend, but... I do need some more attraction points... Why the hell not?_

"You're a terrible liar."

"Are you counting down on New Years Eve?" he frantically asked.

"Don't avoid the question. Or implied question, in this case. And yes. Sting invited Yukino to Natsu's and she invited the rest of us."

"Oh, cool. Are you cold?" He noticed that she was shivering a bit.

"No! Your answer? To my implied question?"

"What were you implying? Just kidding!" he quickly said when he got a glare from her. "You want to come over for Christmas? Grandeeney's gonna make an awful lot of food."

"Gildarts and Cana need me. I left them alone one Christmas and the fire department came to the house."

He chuckled at the thought of the legendary marine burning down his own house. All of a sudden, something cold landed on his nose. He glanced up to see white specks falling down from the sky.

"Let's go. It's snowing," Erza calmly remarked.

"Gray locked the door. He told me that we'll get in at 9," Jellal countered. Nevertheless, he followed her down the hill.

"They'll let us in; don't worry," she replied. "Walk faster, will you?"

He responded by jogging to catch up to her. It was beginning to snow harder and he decided to run. He flew past Erza, who was still speed walking. He was seriously considering to pick her up and run at this point.

"First one back to the house wins!" he shouted.

 **Next chapter: New Years Eve countdown party thing! Thanks for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11: Peppermint Kisses

**Hello there. It's past Christmas and New Years, but enjoy!**

Christmas turned out to be slightly boring this year. To be honest, it hadn't felt festive since he was in third grade. Jellal spent the day at his Aunt Grandeeney's house, baking gingerbread cookies with Wendy.

"Can we make a batch to give to Erza?" Wendy asked as she rolled out the dough.

 _Christmas present for Erza, check._

* * *

Opening presents was the best part. He and his friends all mutually agreed not to give anyone anything, which was perfectly fine with him. From his parents and his aunt, he received money. Wendy's gift was the best, no competition. A Razer DeathStalker Chroma.

"I picked it since it was colorful. I thought you would like it," she shyly explained.

He could only sit there and clutch the keyboard.

"Jellal, what do you say?" his mother reminded.

He blinked out of haze and grinned at his cousin. "Thanks!"

* * *

"You're staying for the night, right?" his dad asked.

"Yeah. See you guys tomorrow. Bye," Jellal replied as he stepped out of the car, a basket of gingerbread cookies in his arms.

"Don't stay up too late. Or if you do, don't let your mother find out!" he called out the window. They both grinned and waved goodbye.

It was a little past eight and Jellal knocked on the Dragneel's front door. Natsu answered, a small scowl on his face and Silly String in his hair. When he saw the cookies, however, his face lit up.

"Oh, cool! Thanks!"

"Not for you. Who got you?" he asked, gesturing to his friend's head.

The scowl returned. "The stripper. Get in."

He followed Natsu to his living room, which had to be the biggest in town. Inside, there was 60 inch flat screen, a relatively large fireplace, a coffee table, two couches, and still room to spare. He glanced around the room to find Erza. She was nestled in between Levy and Juvia in front of the tv, where New Years Rockin' Eve was playing.

When a commercial started, he walked in front of the trio and handed Erza the basket. "Merry Christmas."

"Ooh! What's inside?" "If only Gray-sama!"

Levy looked inside the basket and pulled out a gingerbread cookie. "Wow. This looks great."

Erza flushed pink and murmured a thanks. "I... didn't get you anything."

He only shrugged. "It's fine."

He then walked away, leaving Levy to tease her and Juvia to swoon over the gift.

* * *

"Silly String fight!" Sting tossed Jellal a can, but not before he smothered him in the stuff.

"Hey!" He popped off the cap and sprayed his friend.

Out of nowhere, Erza flew by and got them both. She emptied her can on them since they did nothing but stare in shock.

 _Who gave the demon Silly String?_

They shook off the colorful plastic and ran after her. Gray and Rogue popped out behind a corner and sprayed them with more. The two bluenettes raced past them, clearly hunting down Erza as well.

Just when they thought they were out of cans and string, Natsu, armed with an arsenal of them, showered everyone. There was a silent agreement between all of them to jump Natsu.

* * *

It was now 10:30. Everyone in the room was either extremely hyper from the Silly String fight or extremely exhausted from the Silly String fight. Jellal was sitting next to Erza, who was extremely hyper. She was chatting animatedly to Lucy about who-knows-what. Judging from her rapt expression, probably something to do with cake.

Jellal, on the other hand, was tired and a bit sore. He and Gray were the ones who had cornered Natsu. Then, the fists from everyone else came out and a few misplaced punches earned him some bruises.

"Jellal?" Erza and Lucy had stopped talking a few seconds ago.

"Hm?"

"Can you give me a kiss?"

He snapped his head towards Erza. "What?" Did he really hear what he heard?

"Can you give me a kiss?" she repeated, deliberately saying it slowly.

"It's not even midnight, though," he replied, stalling for time. Did she really just say that?

"I can indulge whenever I want, can I not?" she argued.

"I guess. You sure?" She was being awfully calm about this.

She let out an exasperated sigh. "Yes."

Heart pounding, he slowly leaned towards her. The distance between them diminished.

"Honestly, Jellal. They're on the table next to you. Is it that hard to reach over and grab one?"

 _Wait, what?_

Not waiting for an answer, Erza got up and took a few Hershey's Kisses from the bowl on the coffee table.

"You wanted a Kiss," he stated.

She nodded her head. "The peppermint ones are limited edition. Were you waiting for me to clarify which one I wanted?"

"Yeah! That's it! That's why I didn't do anything!" he quickly replied. "They had regular ones and... and the... the other ones."

"Too bad they didn't have strawberry crème..."

* * *

Twenty seconds until the new year. Alright, he could do this.

"Hey Erza!" he called. She was standing up like everyone else, engrossed on the New Years special.

"Yes?" She tore her eyes away from the screen, where the numbers were flashing.

"You want another kiss?" His poor heart. It was pounding so loudly, he thought for sure that everyone would be able to hear it. Even over the noise blaring from the tv.

"You actually saved some?"

"Yep."

 _You can do this. Calm down._

"What flavor?" She held out her hand, expecting some chocolate.

He pretended to think for a few seconds. He would do it exactly at midnight. Just a little bit longer.

"What do you think of Jellal flavored?" he smirked. He grabbed Erza's wrist and pulled the girl with the beautiful scarlet hair towards him.

 **You have no idea how long I've waited (procrastinated) to write this scene. Hopefully, this is enough compensation for not updating frequently. You're welcome. :)**


	12. Chapter 12: Falling For Her

**Happy Lunar New Year!**

"You're not that bad of a guy," Erza murmured into his hoodie.

If that wasn't a confession of love, what would be? All around him, his friends were hollering.

"DAMN!" "OOH! JELLAL!" "NIIIICE!"

Erza's friends were squealing with joy.

"I KNEW IT!" "D'AWW!" "KYAAA!"

Despite the two layers of fabric separating them, he could feel the heat from Erza's face. His smirk was still plastered on his face and the thought of getting the new game made it grow wider.

* * *

For the remainder of the holidays, his friends were still not over the fact that he actually got Erza to admit she liked him.

"I thought she would've killed you on the spot!" Natsu laughed.

"But she didn't! So, when do I get the game, Sting?" Jellal smiled. He typed in his password, enjoying the feel of his new keyboard.

"Just ordered it. Congrats, man," Sting absently replied. "But did you have to be that suave? Yukino will not shut up about it."

"Is that jealousy I hear?" he teased. "Are you in game already?"

"Me and Sting are on the same team," Natsu answered. "The stripper said he'd be on soon."

"'K." Jellal muted the call and leaned back on his chair, waiting for Gray to log in.

 _"If Erza finds out, won't she be really mad? And if she really did love you and you really did love her, wouldn't she be really heartbroken once she finds out?"_

Wendy's words came back to him. Damn.

 _"Well, let's hope she won't find out. Either way, I don't think I'll ever love her nor will she ever love me."_

The last part was kind of true. Kind of.

 _You think she's pretty._

Her hair was beautiful, he'd give her that.

 _You think she's cute._

Only when she was blushing or nostalgic.

 _She's smart._

Okay, fine.

 _You like hanging out with her._

Yeah, because she was decent at video games and wasn't a pushover. Wendy liked her, so that was a plus.

 _You like her personality._

She was pretty chill sometimes. And she was feisty, in her own way.

Damn, he really did like her.

 _What if she finds out?_

Shut up, conscience.

* * *

"Can I borrow your notes, Levy?"

"Are you and Erza a thing now?" Levy asked. She twisted her body around to face him and she placed her notebook on his desk.

"What do you mean by 'a thing'?" He flipped to the pages, trying to look for the correct page.

"You know, together. Boyfriend and girlfriend. Dating. Actually dating."

He shrugged and scribbled down the lesson vocabulary.

"I think you guys are. Or you should be at least." He glanced up to give her a glare and her face softened. "She likes you, okay?"

"Really?" he drawled.

 _YESYESYESYES!_

"Mhm. According to Cana, she's been a bit jumpy since New Years. I wonder why..." Levy shot him a side glance and a Cheshire Cat grin formed on her face.

"Alright! I get it!" he said. "By the way, who's this Gajeel guy? His name's written all over the margins," he continued.

The girl flushed a violent shade of red. "Sh-shut up!"

* * *

"Where are we going?" Erza asked. Class had ended about ten minutes ago.

"Somewhere," Jellal replied. Her hand was clasped in his and he was leading, not dragging, her across town.

"I would like to know."

"Mira's."

Instead of reluctantly walking with him, she stopped. "Mira's?"

"Yeah. Why?" He gently tugged her along.

Erza let out a stream of incoherent words, all while shaking her head and turning a deeper shade of pink.

"Too late," he smiled. He opened the front door of the cafe and nudged her inside.

"Hey Erza!" Mira called from behind the counter. He saw her infamous smile growing wider when she took notice of him. "Jellal! Nice to see you, too!"

"Hey Mira," Jellal replied.

"Ooh! Is this a date? Hm? It's only the two of you after all!" Mira grinned.

"No! Mira! Th-this is-" Erza stuttered.

"A date," he continued. He wrapped his arm around the redhead's waist and pulled her closer.

Said redhead's face flamed and she resumed babbling.

"N-no! I-it's not like that!" she unconvincingly stammered.

"I'll bring over some food. It's on me," Mira happily said. "Go on and take a seat."

Once they reached the table, Erza put her head down. She mumbled some words that sounded like, "Oh god. Mira."

"You okay?" he asked. He patted her head in what he hoped was a reassuring matter.

She looked up, her bangs nearly covering the entirety of her eyes. "No, not really."

"... So, what's the matter? Thanks Mira."

"Enjoy," the young woman said. She flashed a grin at Jellal before she left.

"Here, eat."

"You keep trying to feed me." Despite her words, she picked up a sandwich.

"As your boyfriend, it's one of my jobs," he replied as offered her a fry.

She choked on her food. "What?!"

He repeated his words.

"So, you consider yourself my boyfriend?" she softly asked. She reached up and fiddled with her silver earring nervously.

"Yep." He anxiously tapped the table. Was Levy lying?

"To be honest, you're not that bad of a guy," she slowly said.

"Well, I've heard."

"There's your answer."

"Wait! Was that a yes?"

"You never asked a question, so..."

"So, we're together? Like, together-together?"

"I guess."

"I KNEW IT! i KNEW IT FROM THE START!" Mira shouted. She jumped out from behind a booth and hugged them both. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!" She twirled around the cafe, her snow-colored hair flying around her.

"Mira? Are you okay?" Erza asked.

"Of course! Wait until Lisanna hears this! Another good matchmaking service by me!" she squealed. "Wait, does everyone know? Is this a secret?"

"I mean, everyone kinda knows," Jellal answered. He glanced at Erza for help; she shrugged.

"But it's not official?" Seeing their nods, she enthusiastically continued. "Can imagine how excited they'll be?"

Jellal sighed. He wasn't sure how much more excitement he could take.

 **Awkward conversations, featuring Jellal and Erza.**


	13. Chapter 13: Dinner with the Family

**Wow! Almost 50 follows! Thank you all for reading!**

"Really?! You and Erza?!" Wendy squealed. She was supposed to be finishing up her history homework, but now she was distracted.

"Yep. We're official," he assured. He was laying on the couch, half-reading _Jane Eyre_.

"How? I thought you said you guys would never like each other." Her voice trailed off near the end.

"Yeah, but, you know... You can't help who you like..." he replied.

"She doesn't know, right?"

"As of right now, no. Let's keep it that way."

"Jellal... You should tell her. If she finds out, she'll be heartbroken."

"Always thought I was a heart breaker," he smirked.

"Jellal! That's not funny!"

* * *

"Dinner? With your family?" he said over the phone. "And couldn't you have texted me instead? I'm in a game right now."

"You weren't replying," she simply stated.

"Oh. Yeah, dinner seems good to me. When?"

"Tomorrow night. 6 PM."

"Okay."

"You got it?"

"Yeah, got it. See you then."

"No sweet goodbye message?" He couldn't tell if she was teasing or not.

"See you then, _love._ " He smiled to himself. "Is that better?"

"Yeah." He felt her smiling and blushing. "Bye."

She hung up and Jellal resumed hunting down enemies. Then, he realized something.

"Where's my sappy goodbye message?!"

* * *

Should he ring the doorbell? Shoot, they didn't have one. Should he knock on the door? What if they wouldn't hear it? What if he knocked too hard and they thought he was rude? Before he could rethink his idea, he boldly knocked on the door.

"So, you're the boyfriend?" Cana had answered the door, a can of beer in her hand. "Once you get through Gildarts, it'll be okay. Good luck, though. Took him ages for him to even let Bacchus near me. Not that I waited for his approval."

"Thanks?"

"C'mon in. Erza's in the kitchen."

He shut the door behind him and followed the brunette to the kitchen.

"Your boyfriend's here. I'm upstairs if ya need me."

It was an unusual sight to see Erza wearing an apron and chopping vegetables. She looked up from her chopping board and gestured him to sit with the knife.

"Can I help with anything?" he asked. It felt awkward doing nothing while she was making dinner.

"It's fine. Considering how 'helpful' you were when Wendy and I were baking, I think it's better that you don't."

"I can chop the carrots, set the table, cook rice, anything really." He stood back up and took the knife away from her. "I can do stuff, see?" He then proceeded to chop the already cut carrots into smaller pieces.

She grimaced at the sight. "Go and set the table."

* * *

"What's for dinner, Erza?" Cana asked. She walked into the kitchen after Erza loudly announced it was dinner time.

"Curry and rice," she responded. She then scooped a ladle full of curry into a bowl overflowing with rice.

The older girl made a noise of delight and snatched the bowl off of Erza's hands. "Ooh! This looks nice!"

"Where's Gildarts?" Erza asked. She poured more curry into a bowl and held it out to Jellal.

"Upstairs. You, boyfriend whose name I forgot, pop open the fridge and get me a beer," Cana commanded.

"Jellal, don't. She doesn't need more alcohol in her system," Erza swiftly said. She shut the refrigerator door with her foot and gave Jellal a stern look.

"Lookie here! Erza cares more about me than you, Jell-O!"

Not sure how to answer, the redhead shot glares at both of them.

Amused, Jellal played along. "Tell me about it. She doesn't reprimand me for getting you a drink, but she reprimands you for wanting a drink." He glanced at his girlfriend's face to see her reaction. It was something between mad, exasperated, and 'you-two-are-idiots-I'm-leaving'.

"Mhm!"

"Go eat, you two." Erza rolled her eyes and went upstairs to haul Gildarts out of his room.

"How long has it been?" Cana asked as soon as Erza was out of earshot.

"What do you mean?" He shoveled a large portion into his mouth.

"Since you two started dating!" She waved her chopsticks in front of me, splattering bits of curry on his face and his hoodie. "Spit it out already!"

"A couple days ago," he answered.

She nodded sagely. "Ya know, you're her first boyfriend. First boy friend, too." She turned serious. "I swear, if you break her heart, you won't only have Gildarts on your tail."

"Got it."

"Heya Pops," Cana greeted. A small smirk formed on her face. "You wanna introduce him, Erza?"

"Gildarts, Jellal. Jellal, Gildarts," Erza curtly said.

The marine heavily sunk down onto the chair. He faced Jellal, his countenance devoid of emotion. "So, you're the guy that wants to date one of my girls?"

"Erza's not your daughter," Cana reminded.

"She's close enough. Anyways, you wanna date her, right?"

"Uh, yes sir!" he spluttered out. Damn, this guy was scary. As of that moment, Gildarts was studying him. Jellal dared to look out of the corner of his eye. Erza and Cana had malicious smiles on their faces.

"Hm. You're clear," Gildarts declared. He shot a welcoming grin at Jellal and reached over to ruffle his hair. "It'd be nice to not be the only man in the house with two crazy women running around."

 _I did it!_

He was not going to die after all.

* * *

"Thanks for dinner," Jellal said. He was still not over the fact that he had survived dinner with a marine, a drunkard, and a redheaded demon. Actually, _his_ demon.

"You're welcome here anytime," Gildarts replied.

"As long as you bring booze!"

"Cana!" Erza cried out.

"Just kidding! Jeez..." Cana sighed. She tugged one of Erza's locks in annoyance. "Go walk him home or something."

"I'll drive you back," Gildarts suggested.

"I can walk," Jellal assured.

"Erza, go with him," Cana urged.

"You just want to watch your show," Erza argued.

"I'm not watching Cupcake Wars reruns for the third day in a row. Now, gooo."

With a huff, the redhead marched to the front door, Jellal in tow.

"Be careful!" Gildarts warned.

She dismissed the comment with the wave of her hand. "We'll be fine."

* * *

"I can walk home," Jellal said. They had just reached the end of the block.

"Keep going," she replied.

They reached Jellal's house after fifteen minutes.

"Do you want a ride back? My parents can drive you," he suggested. He didn't feel safe letting Erza walk back home at night.

She shook her head. "I'll be fine."

"You sure?"

"Yes," she sighed. "Good night."

"Call or text me once you're home. Hell, talk to me while you're walking back!"

"Good night, Jellal," she repeated. "I'll call you when I get back, okay?"

He embraced her and stroked her hair. "Be careful. Run back."

She pulled away and strolled to the end of his driveway. "No 'good night'?" she teased.

"Good night!" he called after her.

* * *

Ten minutes later, his phone rang. The name 'Erza' flashed across his screen.

"I'm home. See you tomorrow," she said.

"Sweet dreams."

 **Hope you guys liked this chapter! The next few will be as fluffy as this!**


	14. Chapter 14: Valentine's Day

**Valentine's Day chapter nearly a month after the actual day.**

"Dude, what are you getting Yukino for Valentine's Day?" Jellal asked. They were walking to Mira's for lunch.

"I dunno. Flowers, I guess," Sting replied.

"Hm," Jellal replied. Would she like flowers? "What kind? Roses?"

"Yep. I suppose you're getting Erza roses, too?"

"One dozen roses, just for her."

"Ya know, I'm thinking _two_ dozen for Yukino."

They both gave each other sideways glances. Sting smirked at him.

"Is this a competition now?" Jellal asked.

"Of course not!" Sting answered. "It's never a competition when there's already a winner."

"True. I mean, I do beat you in just about everything."

Sting shot him a look. "Like hell you do! I bet that Yukino'll be more impressed than Erza."

"I thought you said this wasn't a competition?"

"No, my friend. This is merely a bet."

"How much money is on the line?"

"Twenty."

Jellal snorted. "A bouquet of flowers costs more than that."

"Fine. The losers have to go eat at Mira's for dinner and you both have to listen to Mira gush about who-knows-what."

Jellal winced. Mira was a great person and all, but once she started talking about whatever she was currently obsessed with, it was over. What was she currently obsessed about? Oh, you know. HIS RELATIONSHIP!

Sting noticed him hesitating. "You're scared."

"This is Mira we're talking about. If I lose, I spend two hours with the two most scariest people on the planet!"

"Are you still seriously scared of Erza? It's been a month already!" Sting pushed open the door to the diner. "So, you agree?"

No, he was not scared of Erza. Well, she was pretty scary when she was angry. Anyway, he just used her as leverage against his friends, but that never worked. "Yeah, sure. Why not? You get to be tortured," he replied.

 _I'm gonna regret this._

Before he knew it, his friend dashed to Mira, presumably to run his twisted idea through her. Jellal sat down at a nearby table and pretended to look through the menu. What would Erza like?

 _Cake,_ the little voice in his head said.

 _Well, anything else?_

No response. No idea.

"Mira said sure. She'll provide food and stuff for the loser. Which will be you," Sting said.

"We'll see about that. I've got time," Jellal replied. Millions of thoughts flew through his head. He was going to lose. He had time, but not the funds.

Sting's voice interrupted his thoughts. "Great. Valentine's Day's in four days, buddy. Good luck."

"What?! Really?!"

* * *

"Jellal, I should teach you how to bake. You seem to need cakes and cookies every month," Wendy remarked. She was mixing the cake batter while he was sitting on a kitchen stool.

"I'd love to learn, but I think my parents want the house intact and not in flames," he replied. "Thanks for helping, though."

She beamed at him. "Anything for Erza. And you, too," she added, after he gave her a hurt look.

"What else should I get her? Cake and what else?"

"Flowers?" Wendy suggested. She gave the batter one last stir and tipped it into a greased cake pan.

"I'm thinking sugar roses or whatever they're called," he replied. "Real flowers are out of my budget."

"I don't think I can manage to make them. I'm not really good with sugar. I can frost them on the cake, though."

"That works. Thanks, Wendy."

"My pleasure. Can you wash the bowl for me?" She tilted her head towards the mixing bowl sitting on the counter. Seeing his hesitation, she added, "Please? It's either that or putting the cake in the oven."

He dashed over to the counter and swept the bowl into the sink. He had a fear of being burned by ovens ever since he accidentally touched the inside of one while sticking a cake inside.

"Can you get the frosting ingredients? I know you have it memorized," Wendy said.

"Guilty as charged," he responded. He memorized it ages ago when he wanted to prove he was better than Wendy at baking. (He wasn't.)

"You should try baking Erza something. I think she'd appreciate it," the girl suggested.

"Let's see how well this goes." He rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie and popped his neck. "Where's the flour?"

* * *

"You know, I think it would be better if we gave Erza the cake _I_ made," Wendy said.

"Yeah, considering this one's not even close to edible."

* * *

"Hey buddy! How are things with you?" Sting asked. They were in a Skype call, waiting for the others to get online.

"No insult as a greeting? What's up with you?"

"Nothing! What did you get for Erza?"

"Something. I take it that you have no ideas for Yukino?"

He heard a snort from Sting.

"I have ideas, Jellal! I do!"

"Riiight," he drawled. He grinned, knowing Sting had given no thought about a gift for Yukino. He was going to win.

"Shut up, man! I got ideas! I just need some more!"

"I'm getting roses; I told you already," he lied.

"That's it?!"

"And something edible."

"Chocolate! Thanks for the idea!"

* * *

Valentine's Day was on a Sunday this year, which was a good and bad thing. Good because he didn't need to show up to school with everything. Bad because he had to show up at her home, which housed Gildarts and Cana. He wasn't sure which one was worse.

He trudged out of his house, balancing a strawberry cake with sugar roses on one hand and clutching his phone in the other. He dialed Erza's number and anxiously waited for to pick up.

"Hello?" she said. She seemed distracted.

"Are you home right now?" he asked. He started his trek to her home.

"Hold on. Cana, stop!" There was the sound of glass being broken and a muffled clatter.

"Is everything okay over there?" He had a mental picture of the two teens having a fight with broken beer bottles and knives.

"It's fine. And yes, I'm home right now."

"Great, I'm coming over right now."

"Wait-"

Too late, he cut the line.

 _I can only imagine what's happening at her house._

He made it to the Clive residence with the cake intact. He knocked on the door and Erza answered.

"Good mor- What's that?" she gestured to the cake box.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" he grinned. He placed the box in her hands.

"Oh! That's sweet of you." She flushed pink and added, "I, uh, didn't get you anything... I forgot. I'm so sorry..."

He shrugged. "It's okay."

She stepped closer and gave him a bone crushing hug. He swore he heard several of his ribs crack.

"Thank you," Erza said as she pulled away.

"No problem," he weakly replied. He slightly winced as he surreptitiously felt his ribs.

"Is something the matter?"

"No, of course not! I'm fine!"

"CAN YOU TWO JUST KISS ALREADY?! I NEED ERZA TO COOK BREAKFAST!" Cana, who appeared to be have been watching them, shouted down from an upstairs window.

"Well, we can't disappoint her," Jellal smiled.

"Yes, we can."

He gave her a look.

She gave him a shy smile and said, "Just kidding."

 **And there's chapter 14! In case you wondering about what happened between Erza and Cana: Cana was trying to pour beer into a frying pan full of bacon. Erza attempted to stop her while on the phone with Jellal. She accidentally knocked the bottle and frying pan onto the floor.**


	15. Chapter 15: She Found Out

**Hey there! We're back!**

Sting lost. He spent Monday night eating dinner with Yukino at Mira's. According to Sting, it wasn't bad. They had free dinner and Mira didn't pester them about anything; she left them alone most of the time.

"You missed out on a good dinner! There was steak and apple pie!" he crowed.

"There was steak?!" Jellal dubiously cried out. Maybe he shouldn't have tried so hard after all.

"Yep! And it was good, too! Medium rare and covered in Mira's special sauce!"

Jellal's stomach rumbled. He should've went with flowers and only flowers. Steak, apple pie, no nosy lady around...

"Damn," he sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have tried so hard."

"Joke's on you, buddy!"

* * *

"Erza, wait up!" Jellal shouted. On his walking to school, he saw Erza walking as well.

She either didn't hear him or was playing around with him. Probably the latter since she picked up speed.

 _Fine, you asked for it._

He ran towards her and tackled her in a hug. She stiffened and edged her way out of the hug.

"Good morning to you," he said.

"Good morning," she curtly replied. There was no emotion in her voice.

"Bad day?" he asked.

"You could say that," she answered.

"Did Cana do something again?"

"No."

"So, what happened then?"

"I'll get to the point. I know about the bet. The one from September. The one about me."

 _Don't panic! Don't panic!_

"What are you talking about?"

"Jellal, you're a terrible liar. I'll make it clear. We're done. I'd prefer you stay away from me. Goodbye," she said. She continued to walk, leaving him in the dust.

He stood there, unsure of what to do. Should he apologize right now? Would she still be angry if she did? How angry would she be? Would he end up with broken bones? He decided to give her space instead.

* * *

"She found out? How?" Gray asked. Jellal had finished telling and reliving the few minutes he had spent with Erza in the morning.

"I don't know! That's why I'm asking you guys!" he retorted. He didn't realize he was actually pissed until that moment. No wonder he was snarling at everyone today.

"Maybe she knew a long time ago?" Natsu suggested. "And she just didn't tell you."

"Way to go, pyro! You've reached that level of idiocy sooner than I expected!" Gray replied.

"Wanna fight, Popsicle?"

"Of course I do!"

"Will you two stop for ten minutes?" Rogue sighed. He gave them both disapproving looks. "We have other problems to deal with." He tilted his head in Jellal's direction.

"Well, actually-" Gray started. He got cut off by a loud cough from Sting and another sharp look from Rogue. "I mean, we should help Jellal. He is in absolute dire need of assistance."

"Your sarcasm isn't appreciated," Jellal said. "Did anyone tell Erza?"

There was a chorus of 'no' around the lunch table.

"Now that I think about it, maybe she found out through Yukino," Sting suggested.

"That's probably it."

"I don't think she would though. She seems like the person who knows what to tell and what not to," Gray said. He turned to Jellal. "Sorry for your loss, man."

"Wait! Erza _died_?! I thought you guys said she just found out! You never told me she died!" Natsu exclaimed.

"She didn't die. Gray just said meant he's sorry that she broke up with me," Jellal sighed.

"So, what's the plan?" Sting asked. "You got anything in mind?"

* * *

After school, he made his way to Erza's house. He didn't see her under her tree, so he figured she went home. Or Mira's, but most likely home. He approached the front door and knocked on it.

"Is Erza home?" he asked as soon as the door opened a crack. Cana was standing in the doorway and glaring at him.

"That doesn't matter. What did you do?" she demanded.

"Nothing! I swear!"

"She tells you you're a crappy liar, but I didn't think it was this bad. Now, what did you do?" Cana repeated. She jabbed her finger into his shoulder.

He looked away from her angry gaze. "There was a bet. Erza was part of the bet. She found out."

"Was she the prize or the punishment?"

"Punishment."

She paused for a moment. "Did this bet include you going out with her and breaking her heart?"

"If I got her to love me, there would be a reward for me. I ended up falling for her and she found out about the bet."

The brunette took a deep breath and flung curses at him. He took them all, knowing he deserved them.

She sighed. "You did too good. She ended feeling the same, but she fell even harder. She'd be at the center of the Earth if she was in heaven."

That was bad. Very bad. He got the impression that he emotionally traumatized her.

"You should be proud, in a way. She's never cried this hard over someone. Hell, I think this is the first time she's cried!"

That was also bad. She would probably end up staying away from the male species and beating up any males in her way.

"Can I just apologize to her?" he pleaded. "I'll be done in two minutes."

"No can do. She doesn't want to see you. Not now, not until hell freezes over."

"Please?"

She softened. "Try again in a month. She usually burns over the big stuff in a week, but I think she needs more time."

"One more thing. Please don't tell Gildarts."

"No promises. He might find out himself. Might wanna sleep with a bat near you while you sleep."

"Thanks, Cana."

He walked away, trying to keep the tears from falling and the lump in his throat from choking him.

 **I've never been through a break up (or have had a love interest for that matter), but I hoped I captured the emotions right. Apologies if I didn't.**


	16. Chapter 16: Help from Bluenettes

**Thank you all for reading so many chapters and waiting this long! Strawberry cake for all you guys!**

Jellal never felt so much as failure as he felt now. He lie on his bed, staring at ceiling and rerunning a certain scene in his head.

When he was leaving the Clive residence, he saw Erza's face peeking out of an upstairs window. Her face was a mix of sadness, disappointment, and betrayal. Her eyes were watery, red from what he assumed was crying. She saw him looking and ducked out of the window frame. As much as he wanted to shout his apologies, he knew it was better to leave her alone. He walked down the block, hood on, head down.

He sighed and swallowed the lump that was still in his throat. He ran his fingers over his phone. Should he call her? Yeah, he needed advice.

* * *

"And that's why she hates me," he finished. The tears had not fallen yet.

Wendy said nothing. He only heard some scuffling on her end.

"You're not gonna say 'I told you so'?" he asked.

"I told you so," she grimly answered. "How mad is she?"

"Sad suits the situation better. What am I going to do?" His voice cracked near the end.

"Do you know how she found out?"

"Nope," he squeaked, his throat feeling more tight than ever. He could barely manage to breathe, let alone say anything.

"I'll put you on hold; I'm gonna call Yukino, okay?"

He glanced at his phone and saw that he was officially on hold. He didn't bother wondering why Wendy had Yukino's phone number. He just took a shaky breath and let the rain start.

Jellal was never much of a crier. When he did, it was silent. Just himself, salty water, and the occasional gasp for breath. There was never screaming, shouting, or anything like that. Except this time. There was no one home but him and he was on hold. So, he spent five minutes letting out screams into his pillow and shouting out every single curse word he knew.

"Jellal? You're off hold now," he heard.

"Hi," he greeted. His throat hurt and he scrambled off his bed to get the bottle of water sitting on his desk.

"Well, I found out how Erza found out," she softly said. "Do you wanna hear from me or from one of your friends?"

"Tell me."

"Yukino and Sting were talking about the bet you made during their dinner date. Mira overheard and told Juvia by accident. Juvia told Erza."

He nearly spit out his water. "So, if I lost that stupid Valentine's Day bet, then she wouldn't have found out? Unbelievable!" He crushed the now empty water bottle in his hand and hastily wiped away the lone tear trickling down.

"You made another bet?!"

"That's not the point right now. What-"

Wendy cut him off. "Jellal, was getting the game worth it?"

"Win and lose. I met the real Erza, but hurt her as well. What do I do?"

"Apologize when she's cooled down a bit."

"This is Erza we're talking about. She'll probably never cool down."

* * *

He spent the next few days in a haze. He woke up, went to school, and obeyed orders from anyone. If someone told him to jump off a cliff, he would've probably done it. He was essentially a robot.

"You have to something soon! C'mon! Cheer up!" Sting tried. He had been informed by Jellal that he and Yukino were the ones at fault. Well, kinda.

"It's just Erza!" Natsu added. He attempted to pull his friend up from where he was sitting on the grass.

 _She's not **just** Erza... _

"You'll get over her soon," Gray chimed.

"We mean, we're sorry, but you have to move on eventually," Rogue interrupted.

"Have you guys considered being relationship counselors? You guys have fantastic advice!" Jellal sharply answered. He replayed the words in his head and groaned. "Sorry. You guys wanna play a round tonight?"

"That was a quick change," Gray commented.

"I need to get my mind off her for a while," Jellal replied.

"Good luck with that," Sting snorted.

* * *

"You are salty today. Like, Natsu-salty," Gray interrupted. Jellal was flinging curse words left and right.

They had finished and Jellal and Natsu had lost very badly.

"I am not salty!" they both retorted.

"Yeah, you guys weren't screaming insults at everyone. You two were so nice," Gray sarcastically said.

"Jellal's just upset. He's just letting out his anger," Rogue replied.

Jellal glanced at his clock. Twenty minutes of insults had worn him out.

"Guys, I'm going to bed. Too late for this."

"Bye." "See ya." "Good night."

He logged off and left the Skype call. He leaned back into his rolling chair and spun around. He still felt hollow inside, but the screaming session had helped a bit. He got off the chair and laid down on his bed. Jellal switched the light off and pulled the covers over him.

* * *

He never expected one of Erza's friends to confront him. The dirty looks and glares were fine; he deserved it. Well, maybe he deserved the confrontation, too. Did he expect it from a fellow bluenette? Nope.

"You're a real piece of work, Jellal. I thought you were better than that," Levy abruptly said.

He said nothing and let her rant on.

"Do you know how much she's changed? A lot. She won't talk unless she absolutely has to and only eats strawberry cake. And the biggest change? She doesn't do _anything_ when Natsu and Gray are fighting! What have you done?"

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. Erza not stopping violence? That was an awfully big change.

"Juvia thinks Jellal was trying to help Erza. After all, Jellal did ask Erza out. She seemed happier when she was around Jellal," Juvia cut in.

Scratch that. _Two_ fellow bluenettes

"Yeah, but that isn't really the point. In a nutshell, he broke Erza's heart," Levy argued.

"Juvia thinks he still has a chance. True love will find a way!" she swooned.

"I'm still here," he pointed out.

"Right." Levy turned back to him. "Did you ever really love her? Or was that an act?"

"I love her. She's amazing in every way," he choked out. The lump in his throat and the tears were back.

"Mira's birthday's next Saturday. She's having an open-invite party. Erza will be there for sure. Make sure you go," Levy stated. "It starts at noon."

"Juvia suggests you apologize and explain what happened."

"We'll help you out. I think she misses your company," Levy added.

"Great. Guess I'll see you all on Saturday."

Both girls nodded and waved their goodbyes. Just before Levy was out of earshot, he called out, "Hey, Levy? You never answered my question last time. Who's this Gajeel guy? His name's scribbled all over your notebook!"

He heard Juvia gasp with delight and Levy yelling out, "Shut up!".

The shorter girl turned her head and glared at him. Her face resembled a tomato. "Once you get your relationship sorted out, then we can discuss mine!"

That sobered him immediately.

 **A little off track near the end, but Gale is adorable.**


	17. Chapter 17: Happily Ever After?

**Gah! Almost 3 weeks without updating! Lots of cheese ahead!**

He was a coward, he really was. Since he couldn't go to Mira's birthday party alone, he ended up dragging Natsu and Gray along with me. How he convinced them, you ask? He promised there would be free food. Would there be free food? Who knows.

"Jellal! Natsu and Gray are outside!" he heard his mother call.

He hopped off his bed and scrambled down the stairs.

"Jelly-Man! Hurry up!" Natsu greeted. He grabbed Jellal's arm and dragged him down the front yard. Gray, who was behind them, mumbled a hello.

"What's up with you?" Jellal asked. He finally wrested his arm from Natsu and grimaced at the sight of white fingerprints.

"We gotta get there before there's no food!" Natsu replied.

"Tch. I doubt there'll be any food," Gray said. "You just wanted us to come with you."

 _Damn it, Gray!_

"Seriously?! No food?! Jellal, you liar!"

"I'll buy you guys lunch, then," he suggested.

Gray and Natsu gave each other a sly look.

"As long as it doesn't exceed $20!" he quickly added.

"You're no fun," Gray said. Natsu nodded in agreement.

He brushed off the comment and walked a bit faster. It was almost 12:30 and Levy texted him last night saying that Erza would be there early. He wanted to make it to the diner before there were tons of people, assuming there would be.

The trio arrived a little after 12:30. Mira, apparently, was an extremely popular person. There was a crowd of people around the entrance way. He saw a few people bearing gifts and balloons.

Jellal weaved through the crowd, Natsu and Gray trailing behind him. He ignored the protests he heard from the people around him. He reached the door and nudged his way inside the diner.

His friends stumbled out of the crowd a few moments later, gritting their teeth and trying not to scream profanities at the ruder individuals.

"What the hell, man? You left us for dead!" Gray burst out.

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed.

"Sorry," he absentmindedly replied. He walked a few more feet, drinking in the scene around him.

Mira, the birthday girl, was standing behind the counter, chatting to some customers. There were cheap streamers strung around the room and music was playing. Seeing that Lucy was waitressing, he assumed there was no free food.

Wait, Lucy was waitressing? That meant Erza might be, too. He skimmed the crowded area, looking for any sight of red.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around. Gray pointed at Mira, who was frantically waving them over.

"Hi! You came!" she shouted.

"Happy birthday," Jellal shouted back.

She grinned. "Everyone's in the kitchen! Come on! There's food!"

Natsu leaped over the counter at the mention of food. Gray and Jellal, who had some dignity, walked through the side door and into the kitchen.

Mira shut the door behind them. Sting, Rogue, Yukino, and Levy were sitting at a table, chatting animatedly. They all looked up and smiled their hellos.

"Still wallowing in your tears, Jellal?" Sting teased.

Jellal glared at him. So did Yukino, who gave him a sharp nudge.

"It's our fault. We shouldn't have been talking about it in public," she guiltily said.

"But it's too late now! We have a plan!" Levy sang. She plopped a notebook onto the table. She flipped open to a page and gestured to the scrawled words and diagrams.

"What's that?" Natsu asked through a mouthful of cake.

"Our plan!" Seeing some confused faces, the girl continued. "We're going to get Jellal and Erza back together! Lu-chan and Juvia are keeping Erza busy, so that we could discuss this you guys."

"I'm not part of this. Erza will kill us if she finds out," Gray shook his head.

"Nope! Too late! You've heard the plan and you're part of this," Levy replied.

"What _is_ the plan?" Jellal questioned.

He felt his stomach lurch when he saw the smirks on all their faces.

* * *

"Let me outta here!" Erza screamed. She pounded against the locked door.

Jellal sighed. Why had he agreed to this? Levy's brilliant plan was to lock him and Erza up in a room and let them fix their problems. Somehow, they lured Erza inside and shut the door, leaving them trapped. The worst part was that Mira had the key.

"Not until you two make up!" a perky voice he identified as Mira responded. "You're not leaving until then!"

"I will break down this door if I have to!" Erza quickly retorted. "Now, LET ME OUT!" She pounded the door once more.

"I hope Mira has insurance. That door will become splinters," he heard someone say.

"Juvia thinks Erza should talk to Jellal."

"Will you let me out after?"

"Promise," another person (Lucy? He wasn't sure) replied.

Erza turned to face him. "What would you like to talk about?"

He heard the group on the other side of the door shuffle away. "Here goes. I'm really sorry about you finding you like that. I should've never made the bet at all, but I was really tempted because I would get the new game and I really wanted it since it's supposed really good. Actually, that's not really important right now, but you get me, right? Anyways, I didn't really intend on hurting you. I just thought-"

"You just thought it would be okay to crush someone's heart and they would be perfectly fine after?" she interrupted. She arched an eyebrow at him, daring him to disagree.

Jellal flushed pink, not sure how to respond. "Well, when you say it like that, no."

"So, what did you think? Hm?"

"I just thought maybe you wouldn't actually return my feelings. Maybe you would just play along to placate your friends. I was going to tell you eventually."

She let out a bark. "'Eventually'? Hah! I bet you would wait until our wedding night!"

"Ah, so there is a future for us!"

 _Crap, I should not have said that._

Erza's left eye twitched. She stayed silent for a few moments, so Jellal continued.

"At first, my intention was just to get the game, not you. Then, somewhere along the way, you showed your true colors. You weren't as evil as Natsu and Gray painted said- Hold on. I'm not done, yet," he said when he saw her open her mouth. "My point is, I fell in love. With you. I like you. I really do."

"Do you remember the Halloween party at Natsu's house?" she softly asked.

That was a surprise. She wasn't shouting like he expected her to and she was asking about something that happened about 4 or 5 months ago. He nodded.

"Do you remember what I said when you tried to take a piece of my cake?" She now sounded a bit fiercer.

"Er, no."

"Well, I said, 'No one steals from me.' Well, you stole something from me."

Steal? _Steal?_ When did he steal something from her? He thought back to all the times he spent with her. Did he take something by accident?

Jellal blankly stared at Erza. "Elaborate. I don't remember."

Erza let out a huff. "Are you that dense? Do I have to finish the sentence for you?"

He racked his brain. What did he steal? Her cake? No, she said he "tried".

"Stole your heart?" he tried. That was the only thing he could come up with.

Erza flashed a small smile at him.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" he asked. A wide grin was spreading across his face.

"Yeah. I like you too much to stay mad at you. But, don't you ever do that to anyone again!" She glared at him and he shrunk a bit.

"Promise. Alright, say it with me, Erza. Love. Love. _Loooooove_."

She rolled her eyes, but said it anyway.

"You mean it? You really do love me?" Jellal asked. He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Yes. Now, let's get out of here," she smiled. She gave him a quick kiss and gently pushed him out of the way.

"Mira! We're done! Let us out!" she yelled. She pounded the door again, even louder than before.

A few minutes later, he heard hurried footsteps.

"You two are done fighting? Wow, you guys clear up an argument really fast," Sting (at least he thought it was) commented.

"We need proof!" someone exclaimed. "Once we let you out, you two have to kiss!" That was Mira for sure.

"Sure!" he shouted back, ignoring the very obvious 'NO!' on Erza's face.

The door clicked and swung open, revealing his friends and a very excited Mira.

"Kiss! Go on!" she squealed.

Erza smirked and gave Jellal a quick kiss on the cheek. She then proceeded to ignore all the protests from everyone.

"You two are alright now?" Gray inquired.

"Yep. I didn't think she would get over it so fast," Jellal admitted.

"That means she really does like you. I've never seen her cool down that fast," Natsu said.

 _Wait, I just remembered something very important..._

"Hey, you guys remember the other part of our deal, right? The one where I get to give anyone a dare and they have to do it?" Jellal smiled.

"Let's pretend I do," Sting replied. "Who're you choosing?"

"The little pink haired cheater that started this all, of course."

 **We're done! Sorry if the ending was bit vague and not really final. Would anyone like an epilogue? If at least one person wants it, I'll write it. Thank you all for reading this much!**


	18. Chapter 18: A Short Epilogue

**So, I changed my name. Anyways...**

 **Epilogue! New story announcement and sappy A/N at the bottom if you want to read it.**

The rest of the school year passed by smoothly. There were no huge fights between Jellal and Erza. The only fights they had were regarding Jellal being a terrible gaming partner.

"You're terrible at this. Natsu almost got you! _Natsu_!" she grumbled over Skype.

"You're even worse than I am!" he replied. "You missed a point blank shot a few minutes ago!"

"To be fair, I just started yesterday," she defended. Erza watched him play a few games and got interested. She bought the game online and started immediately. (How did she find a copy for 50% off?)

"Still bad."

"Really? How about that?" she responded. The words, 'AN ALLY HAS KILLED AN ENEMY!' flashed across the computer screen.

"Freakin' hell! How'd you hit me?" Sting shouted. "I was invisible!"

"New accessory. I can see invisible units," she simply explained.

Natsu laughed. "Ha! She killed you! Beaten by a _girl_!" he exclaimed.

"You forget that she's killed you at least five times," Gray dryly said.

"Are you talking about Erza or Lucy?" Sting asked.

Natsu, the lucky guy, had to _attempt_ to get Lucy to like him. Attempt. However, this was Natsu and getting Lucy to like him became his personal goal. So far, he was unsuccessful.

"You know, if you stopped freeloading off of her, she might not completely hate you," Jellal suggested.

"Lucy complains how you always steal her food," Erza agreed.

"It's not fault I'm hungry!"

Everyone else in the call either snorted, rolled their eyes, or just flat out insulted him.

"You and Lucy are never gonna be friends at this rate," Gray mused.

"Nope! We'll end up like Jelly-Man and Erza instead!" he cheerfully said.

"Lucy doesn't like you very much," Erza remarked.

"She will! Just watch!"

 **So there's the super short epilogue! I will be writing a one-shot about Natsu and Lucy regarding the dare. The story takes place during the summer and I will publish it by June 1 at the latest.**

 **Sappy A/N: Thank you all for reading, reviewing, following, and favoriting! I hope you all enjoyed it! Writing it was fun and aggravating for me, but it was a nice experience doing all that! Thanks for all the love this story got and sticking around for so long!**


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